Feedback is the core supporting factor for any learning, be it an educational institution, personal growth, or any training program at a workplace. In the case of employee development, feedback is especially important. It assists the learners, enforces the learning goals, fills the gaps in comprehension, and stimulates the acquisition of skills while making sure the companies keep the focus on the training programs in sync with individual and corporate targets. Properly executed feedback has the power to turn helpless educational undertakings into achievement-enhancing channels for both the individual and the organization.
In this blog, we will also discuss the various kinds of feedback mechanisms that can be used to improve learning programs and their importance. Furthermore, we will also present the feedback principles that will be effective in the judgment of learners and how the organizations can embed these principles in the training programs for their employees.
The Importance of Feedback in Learning Programs
Feedback is an important aspect of learning since it also helps the learners to understand the exact areas where their performance was satisfactory and where growth should be targeted. In employee training programs, feedback permits the interlinking of individual and organizational learning delivery expectations in a way that the training is useful in practice and meets the needs of the organization.
In a study, it was found that 67% of the employees reported that feedback during training makes them more competent in their work, and 58% confirmed that they are encouraged to apply what they learn more in their everyday work. This data emphasizes in very clear terms that a call for providing feedback is a natural occurrence as most employees regard such feedback as an integral part of their development.
Effective feedback helps:
- Identify Knowledge Gaps: It helps learners identify some blind spots in their learning that they didn’t know they had.
- Motivate Continuous Learning: It motivates learners to engage in self-improvement by making them aware of both the positives and negatives.
- Enhance Retention: Feedback serves to consolidate such outcomes further, thereby increasing retention levels among learners on information for more extended periods.
- Drive Engagement: Learners who are regularly given feedback tend to remain in training programs and even take part in more because feedback is encouragement in showing them where they have reached and that their organization sees them as an important asset.
After comprehending the usefulness of feedback to learning programs we may now look at which feedback can help aid better results with learning.
Types of Feedback in Learning Programs
Formative Feedback
While there are different types of feedback in learning programs, formative feedback is probably the most popular and is applied frequently. It does not wait until a certain part of a training module is over but aims at assisting the learners in making changes and improvements before the definite assessments.
In employee training programs, formative feedback is very useful. It leads the learner to enhance performance, knowing which area needs improvement. Instead of learning only to be evaluated at the end of a module, when there is no longer any change possible, the learners are allowed to make small changes in the course of the learning leading to more engagement on the learners’ part.
Best Practices:
- Ensure that formative feedback is frequent and ongoing
- Encourage two-way communication between the learner and the trainer to clarify misunderstandings and provide necessary guidance.
- Use formative feedback as an opportunity for open dialogue rather than just evaluation.
Example in Training:
In a course focusing on time management, employees take part in a time management course and the manager makes sure to check in with her employees once a week to offer constructive criticism on their application of the knowledge. This way, employees can share any problems they are facing, change plans, and perfect their time management skills.
Summative Feedback
In contrast to ongoing formative feedback, summative feedback is typically provided to participants on completion of a training module or a learning period. It assesses the extent of the learner’s performance and whether the intended learning outcomes were achieved. Feedback of a summative nature is very formal usually and closely related to the tests, grades, or final skits.
In workplace training programs, summative feedback is especially useful as it concludes certain learning modules and brings a feeling of completion or indicates what still needs to be done to the employees.
Best Practices:
- Summative feedback should always be sharp and relevant to the learning goals.
- Even though learners are given summative feedback as a way of performance appraisal, always present what learners can do to ameliorate the situation.
- Summative feedback should also celebrate learner’s achievements and not just focus on their weaknesses.
Example in Training:
Participants of a leadership development program, for instance, are assessed on their presentations at the end of the program by looking at the final projects submitted. The report has a summary of the positive aspects, such as effective communication skills, and suggestions for improvement, like delegating tasks more effectively.
Peer Feedback
Peer feedback is the feedback that employees or learners provide each other. This feedback encourages the spirit of cooperation and community within learning programs. Quite a several employees welcome feedback from their co-workers rather than managers since this fosters a culture of learning from each other and improvement.
In addition, peer feedback can bring some angles or information that the trainers or managers may not give. Employees working on a certain task can mention some of the inner workings of the team or what needs to improve that might be missed by an outside evaluator.
Best Practices:
- Define the accepted objectives for peer feedback and its type so that it remains constructive.
- Foster a culture of feedback, both providing and receiving, so that constructive comments are welcomed.
- Do not treat peer feedback in isolation and incorporate the manager’s and trainer’s feedback as well.
Example in Training:
For instance, in a sales training program, employees are motivated to provide feedback on each employee’s presentation. One employee observed that a co-worker gave a good account but should practice more eye contact since he was doing a good job in the presentation. This activity enables both of them to be better presenters as a result of the feedback.
Self-Assessment Feedback
Self-assessment requires self-doubts to measure performance and the evaluation of the learning results. It is said that by engaging in self-reflection, employees are capable of determining their strengths and weaknesses. Self-assessment develops interdependence as well as accountability about their learning programs since employees will be responsible for their growth.
Self-assessments are informative, and therefore, do not replace professional opinions but serve an adjunct purpose when peer and manager feedback is given.
Best Practices:
- Outlines or rubrics are good tools for helping employees assess their performance objectively.
- View self-assessment in the light of other feedback received.
- Help the employees to remember all the good things accomplished and the challenges faced for improvement.
Example in Training:
After learning project management techniques, employees rate themselves on how well they think they know the concepts taught. They rate themselves and then outline additional training or support that they feel they will require to complete the training.
Automated Feedback
These days, feedback from automated systems is widely used in e-learning methods and online training systems. Quick answers to e-learning courses, quizzes, assignments, and classes are provided to learners by automated feedback. It is more helpful for routine tests and assignments which need learners to identify their mistakes and rectify in real-time response for effectiveness.
In general, it can still be argued that feedback from automated systems is cost-effective and covers a wider audience. It is however worth remembering that human feedback is personally effective and, therefore, cannot be substituted with machinery technology feedback. By combining instruction with feedback from managers or trainers, learners get a holistic perspective of performing.
Best Practices:
- Make sure the automated feedback is specific and is beneficial in helping the learner to improve.
- Don’t depend on automated feedback too much. Instead, use it together with human feedback in the more difficult aspects of learning.
- Use the automated feedback as a directional tool to measure how well the targets are being met and other trends, but provide narrative or non-structured feedback where possible.
Example in Training:
After each assessment in an online training program on cybersecurity skills, workers receive automated feedback from the e-learning platform which provides the correct answer and the reasons why the other choices were incorrect. This achieves the effect that the employees can correct themselves effectively before going on to tackle harder material.
Improving Learning Through Feedback
Simply giving feedback is not sufficient; it will only be effective in bringing the desired change if action is taken, feedback is given promptly, and it is constructive. In a study, it was found that 72% of employees believe that timely feedback helps them perform their jobs more effectively. Feedback delivered immediately to performers aids in the correction of errors and reinforces what has been offered for as long as the material is still fresh in the learner’s mind.
Key Strategies for Improving Learning Through Feedback:
- Timeliness: Feedback should be given soon after an activity has been completed or after an assessment has been made of a student’s performance. Feedback that is given at a late stage may negatively change a learner’s disposition and lower their morale.
- Clarity: There are chances that the learners may not understand what the feedback is all about when it is vague. Emphasize the strengths and limitations. Do not complain. For instance, if something is done well – rather say what has worked, and what has not.
- Actionability: Feedback should always give out important suggestions that help to avert or improve the situation shortly. For example, if the structure of an employee’s timely presentation is weak, outline possible frameworks for the ideas to be presented.
Example in Training:
An employee engaged in a customer service training program takes part in a role-play activity and is given feedback at the end of it. The trainer points out several things that can be done better, for instance, the use of more gentle words, and offers ways in which this can be enforced in later interactions.
Feedback in Employee Training Programs
Without a doubt, feedback forms an essential aspect of employee development and training programs. Where feedback is put to good use, there is a constant link between training and work, where the acquired skills or knowledge will not just be idle but will be put to good use.
The 2022 LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report revealed that 94% of employees would stay with a company for the long term if that company incorporated learning and development initiatives into their practices. This statistic makes sense because feedback is not used only in promoting performance but engagement and retention as well.
Best Practices for Employee Development Feedback:
- Personalization: Feedback should always be given concerning the person’s position, level of performance, and development goal. Employees are more likely to put their effort into improvement when the message they receive relates to their particular situation. Giving too much feedback that is generic can cause employees to be unmotivated and lose focus in the learning process.
- Balanced Approach: Positive and negative aspects of feedback should be provided to the recipient while maintaining the effectiveness of the feedback. There are two sides to this cut: there is no need to concentrate only on the achievements. Therefore, the motivation is sustained, and employee development is further desired.
- Follow-Up: Feedback should not be a one-off action but rather an activity that can take place regularly. Feedback is followed by feedback follow-up to ensure that the employees who have been given feedback are working towards the set objective and identifying any other issues or barriers that might have arisen.
Example in Training:
A manager gives feedback to an employee after a performance review, and after one month, the manager comes back to check how the employee is doing. In the course of follow-up, the manager offers more help to the employee so that he or she does not go off the planned goals.
The Role of Feedback in Engagement and Retention
Feedback provides an opportunity not only to enhance individual performance but is also very important in terms of getting people to remain engaged and in the organization over the long term. Employees who are provided with timely and relevant feedback show higher levels of engagement and confidence in the organization. Gallup study found that employees who receive feedback ‘regularly’ are 4 times more engaged at work compared to employees who hardly receive any feedback at all.
Such work habits also mean that the employee is more productive, has greater chances of retaining employment with the organization, and enhances a good working environment. Feedback provides a great learning opportunity when it is delivered appropriately, that is, at the right time, providing the correct message and recommendations, making it possible to achieve both employee development and organizational performance in the long term.
Conclusion
The making and receiving of feedback is a core element of any teaching-learning process. Each of these aspects of feedback, including formative, summative, peer, and automated takes shape in its way and contributes to impressive results in employee performance and employee engagement. Judging by the history, when appropriately and timely used, feedback can redefine the course of invisible contact learning, enhance retention, and meet business needs.
Organizations that include feedback in the specifics of their learning programs are likely to witness restoration in the performance of their employees and engagement, retention, and future performance in the long run. Incorporating these or other types of feedback in your educational programs and employing them in the right manner will help ensure that your learners stay focused on improving themselves regularly over time.
At Auzmor, we believe in designing learning experiences that foster growth, and productivity, at every level. Our platform comes equipped with effective tools for capturing, assessing, and acting on any feedback efficiently. Would you like to get actionable feedback to improve your learning programs? Get started with Auzmor today!
FAQs
Q: What do you think is the most effective type of feedback in a learning program?
A: Feedback consists of several types: formative feedback, which is ongoing throughout a learning activity, summative feedback, which is done at the end of a module or session, and peer feedback from fellow learners. Each has its function in helping the learner achieve goals.
Q: What is the best way to use feedback within your learning programs?
A: You can integrate feedback by adding surveys, quizzes, interactive polls, or course peer review, and having it at different times – before, during, or after the course. This can make the process more efficient.
Q: How frequently do you suggest collecting feedback in a learning program?
A: Feedback must be given continuously with some specific points during and after the learning to offer a complete learning experience to the learners.
Q: What is the benefit of peer feedback in the learning process?
A: Feedback by peers builds a supportive learning context which makes all participants self-evaluative and open to the viewpoints of others. It enhances the growth of critical thinking and community engagement abilities.
