Prepare

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapter 5 in your course textbook, College Writing Handbook, and the article Find the Coaching in Criticism: The Right Ways to Receive Feedback.

In a course like this, some of the feedback you receive takes the form of a number or letter grade, but that’s only a small part of the picture. You can start by reviewing the number grades you have received on the different activities and assignments, but then dig deeper into the detailed commentary aligned to each and every rubric category as well as any direct comments from your instructor in the gradebook.

Additionally, some of the most valuable feedback you receive will be narrative in nature, written as sentences and paragraphs in the form of emails or discussion forum comments from your instructor, as well as any replies you have received from peers in the discussion forum.

Take time to review the feedback you have received throughout this course. 

Reflect

Really listening to what feedback tells you can be difficult. That’s partly because it is easy to feel criticized. As Heen and Stone (2014) state, “even a seemingly benign suggestion can leave you feeling angry, anxious, badly treated, or profoundly threatened” (p. 109). So it is up to you to have the right perspective on the feedback you receive.

Additionally, it is easy to think of feedback in simple terms, right or wrong, good or bad. But feedback can take many forms, and you need to intentionally engage with all of them.

In this forum, you will reflect on the feedback you have received throughout the course, using it to help assess your strengths and challenges. While feedback can be valuable for the actionable strategies communicated, it can also provide an important check-in when you combine that with honest reflection. How open are you to receiving and acting upon feedback? Are there specific areas or skills that you are particularly interested in receiving feedback on?

In 250 to 300 words, address the following points:

• Describe your strategy for listening to, and really understanding, the feedback you receive.
  • Perhaps this involves looking more closely at the variety of feedback you already receive or proactively reaching out for feedback from different sources.
• Explain any steps you may take to get better at receiving feedback.
  • Think about the six steps mentioned in the article, and how you can apply these insights.
• Discuss the different types of feedback you have received in this course.
  • You might identify particular assignments or activities you have gotten feedback on, or the various locations you have pulled feedback from. Has it been helpful? Has it aligned with your own vision of your skills and abilities?
• Consider at least two specific comments you have received as feedback.
  • What are the underlying concerns of the suggested edits? Look beyond the specific instance and attempt to generalize. For example, a comma mistake might indicate a need to pay attention to details.

Please note, you are not required to share the individual feedback you have received in this course, only your reactions to it, as well as your strategies for addressing it.