Feedback at the heart of an asynchronous course design

The team of the RÉCIT national service, field of mathematics, science and technology (RÉCIT MST) completes the design of a 4-year science course^e secondary intended to be offered entirely in asynchronous mode. In order to stimulate student engagement, the team focused on the feedback offered in a specific way.

“Feedback becomes a pillar in the design of this course,” says Raoul Kamga, who thought about the feedback component and thought about its integration into Moodle, the platform used to deliver the course remotely, at the same time as it was developed. .

Science is not always easy to understand; he nevertheless wanted to make the students as independent as possible. The objective was twofold: on the one hand, it is to offer young people feedback that allows them to situate themselves in their learning, to understand their challenges and to continue their progress; at the same time, it was necessary to think about the workload of the teacher who follows students in asynchronous mode. Yes, the teacher is always available to support them, but he should not be inundated with questions either.

The science course (ST / STE) is divided into modules that can be followed as a whole or individually by the students. They are therefore independent of each other. Each module begins with a diagnostic test. “It is necessary for the pupil to be able to situate himself from the beginning of the module. This starting point should be used to engage him in his learning. Likewise, the feedback offered will be varied; images, texts, videos. It must also be clear enough for the student to interpret it well and use it to propel themselves forward, ”explains Pierre Lachance, RÉCIT MST advisor.

For example, in the case of multiple-choice questions, the answer choices offered are linked to the most frequent errors of students on the subject. Feedback is specific to each answer choice and offers resources to allow students to continue their learning.

Once the diagnosis is successful, the student can complete the module which is designed in a problem-based approach. A knowledge validation test is also integrated into the learning path, just before the stage of solving the problem situation. Again, personalized feedback is offered.

Available in September 2021

The design of this course in asynchronous mode was already in the air before the pandemic. Initially, students following sports-study programs or having recurring health problems were the target clientele. With the pandemic, other uses are now being considered.

All ministerial-sanctioned courses at the end of secondary school will have their asynchronous version from September 2021 or during the following months. They will be made available to all school service centers in Quebec. The École branchée will certainly have the opportunity to talk to you about it again.

Raoul Kamga and Pierre Lachance presented the project as part of the Digital Education Summit. Their presentation is available online.