GAO AU25, Feedback Preferences: Unhelpful by

2025-08-19 17:40:24 UTC

vague feedback without clear direction

2025-08-19 17:40:54 UTC

Grades without any explanation. For example, getting a B on a paper without a rubric or information indicating what I could have done to earn an A.

2025-08-19 17:40:57 UTC

highlights or strikethroughs with no additional comments

2025-08-19 17:41:41 UTC

broad feedback such as this is not related and not how it isn’t

2025-08-19 17:41:45 UTC

Feedback that appears rooted in personal preference rather than an objective standard

2025-08-19 17:41:53 UTC

Lack of specific feedback (all looks good or just random strikethroughs)

2025-08-19 17:41:59 UTC

I once received a comment on a paper for a graduate level class that said "your writing needs work," but the comments in the paper were mostly about word-choice.

Tone

2025-08-19 17:42:30 UTC

I often read feedback with a particularly firm and disciplinary tone. There's even some shame and I can get stuck on that tone instead of taking in the feedback.

2025-08-19 17:42:58 UTC

Positive feedback about very specific things. While I like positive feedback about more general things (ie the structure of my thesis, etc), comments that are hyper specific to the paper I am writing (ie good point!), I don't feel like I can take into my other writing

unclear explanation

2025-08-19 17:43:19 UTC

2025-08-19 17:43:23 UTC

Not a huge question mark! "?"

a letter grade and nothing else

2025-08-19 17:43:25 UTC

Structure as a double-edged sword

2025-08-19 17:44:04 UTC

I think for any writing that structure, templates, outlines can be as harmful to the writing process as they are helpful. Sometimes writing something organically or out of order and making sense of it from there is the best way to do it, especially with creative writing.

2025-08-19 17:44:05 UTC

When a professor uses phrases such as "awk" or circles or crosses words or sections out without an explanation in the margins. These types of comments seem more arbitrary, in that it is the professor's opinion as to what does not work, rather than making it clear that a specific writing style is not effective.

2025-08-19 17:44:33 UTC

Feedback that addresses one small component and doesn;t go into detail about how it connects to the broad picture.

Not having clear expectations set nor guidance on how to write for specific projects that may not follow traditional essay format

2025-08-19 17:44:36 UTC

2025-08-19 17:44:57 UTC

Feedback is sometimes unhelpful when it only points out a singular instance of an issue, rather than addressing the overall problems that are present throughout my writing.

2025-08-19 17:44:57 UTC

I found the feedback lacked explanation unhelpful.

2025-08-19 17:45:45 UTC

Simple feedback like "Great Job" because it can be very hard to grow as a writer if you're not being challenged.

2025-08-22 17:08:24 UTC

Words such as "interesting" that don't give indication of what the instructor liked and why

2025-08-22 17:10:15 UTC

vague, very broad critiques

2025-08-22 17:10:36 UTC

not offering any resources or examples to compare my writing with

2025-08-22 17:11:24 UTC

grammatical critiques being to sole form of feedback, those are things that don't help change the flow or structure of the writing

2025-08-22 17:11:25 UTC

Writing “???” … very vague and doesn’t make clear what the misstep was, especially of wanting to make corrections.

2025-08-22 17:11:44 UTC

Feedback without specific details

Unhelpful Feedback

2025-08-22 17:13:05 UTC

When the feedback is too broad, vague, and irrelevant, it does not help improve the student's writing.