tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9848115.post115974557939146005..comments2023-10-30T08:30:47.431-05:00Comments on See Jane Compute: Working with undergraduate researchers: Giving difficult feedbackJanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17082496114155799356noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9848115.post-1160452308255461012006-10-09T22:51:00.000-05:002006-10-09T22:51:00.000-05:00Way to go! I agree with what others have said abo...Way to go! I agree with what others have said about the list of concrete suggestions on what to do next as expressing confidence in your students' abilities. And as I always tell faculty that I don't object to constructive criticism (in fact, I thrive on it). Although, of course, that requires more work on the overworked faculty member's part - to get beyond the sense that something's wrong to thinking through what it is that's wrong and offering some suggestions for what might be done to address the problem (without necessarily solving the problem). Reminds me of the difference between helpful and non-helpful peer reviews on journal submissions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9848115.post-1160154888820460482006-10-06T12:14:00.000-05:002006-10-06T12:14:00.000-05:00I am 100% convinced that honest feedback is one of...I am 100% convinced that honest feedback is one of the most valuable things you can provide your students. Certainly, you have to be reasonable about how you present it, but it sounds like you gave your students a productive, focused evaluation of projects that were important to them. How else are they going to learn?<BR/><BR/>You didn't raise this issue, but it's especially important when working with any kind of 'minority' student. Reflecting back on my own graduate career, it's clear to me that most of my (white, male) professors rarely gave me the constructive critical feedback I needed; I think they were too busy tiptoeing around trying not to offend or discourage me. It's something I try to always remember with my own students. <BR/><BR/>Kudos to you for taking your job seriously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9848115.post-1159930488345119442006-10-03T21:54:00.000-05:002006-10-03T21:54:00.000-05:00Thanks, Dr. Crazy (and thanks for the link---great...Thanks, Dr. Crazy (and thanks for the link---great series, by the way)! I ran into one of the students today, and she didn't seem upset or demoralized, so I take it that the feedback went over ok. I always use the rule of thumb "how would I like to receive this feedback?", and try to tailor my feedback accordingly. But it's tough to do consistently.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17082496114155799356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9848115.post-1159901498862886152006-10-03T13:51:00.000-05:002006-10-03T13:51:00.000-05:00It sounds to me like you did your best to point ou...It sounds to me like you did your best to point out their strengths and to frame your critique positively - not that there weren't things that need to be fixed but rather you showed confidence in them that they can address those things. (I think the bulletted list of concrete things to do was great in this regard.) Criticism's tough for all of us, but if the criticism is constructive, it gives the student somewhere to go - something he/she can do to improve. It's the difference between "correcting" student work and giving feedback, you know? I'm going to add a link to this post over at my post on mentoring - I think it really contributes to the ongoing discussion about this on my blog and the blogs of others.Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.com