August 9, 2024

24 Best Online Feedback Tools for Better Classroom Communication

Online feedback tools have become essential for educators to manage the increasing demands of grading assignments. With the rise of standards-based grading, educators are looking for ways to ensure that their assessments are aligned with clear learning objectives. There are often large amounts of papers needing attention and feedback. Educators seek methods to reduce grading time while providing high-quality, specific, and accurate essay feedback. This blog will examine online feedback tools and how they can improve the grading process.

To streamline grading and efficiently provide personalized feedback, EssayGrader.ai offers user-friendly grading software designed for teachers. With its intuitive interface and AI-powered features, this tool can help reduce grading time and deliver high-quality, specific, and accurate essay feedback.

What are Online Feedback Tools for Teachers

man working on a laptop - Online Feedback Tools

Effective feedback is educative. It provides students with an explanation of what they are doing correctly and incorrectly, focusing on what the student is doing right. This technique helps to guide feedback positively, using a feedback sandwich approach

  • Compliment
  • Correct
  • Compliment 

Providing feedback immediately after a learning moment is crucial, as students are more likely to connect the input with the learning experience. It may be necessary to provide feedback to prevent students from losing sight of the connection between them.

Tailoring Feedback to Diverse Learning Needs

Feedback should be sensitive to each student's needs, considering the diversity of learners in the classroom. Some students may require a gentle approach to avoid discouraging learning and damaging self-esteem, while others may need a push to achieve at a higher level.

Answers to the 4 Questions

Studies have shown that learners want to know where they stand regarding their work. Instructors can provide quality feedback by addressing the following four questions regularly: 

  • What can the student do? 
  • What can't the student do? 
  • How does the student's work compare with that of others? 
  • How can the student do better? 

By answering these questions, educators can offer valuable insights to students about their performance and areas for improvement.

Providing a Model or Example

Communicating the purpose of an assessment and student feedback is essential. Demonstrating what is expected by providing examples of an A+ paper versus a C- paper can help students better understand the grading criteria. 

This approach is particularly beneficial at higher learning levels, where students may need more guidance on meeting academic standards.

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The Case for Online Feedback Tools for Teachers

woman working on a laptop - Online Feedback Tools

Traditional feedback methods in education often involve time-consuming and less effective practices such as:

  • Verbal feedback
  • Written feedback on a paper
  • Post-assessment discussions

These methods limit the scope and depth of the feedback provided, meaning teachers struggle to give feedback that is:

  • Relevant
  • Specific
  • Timely

Traditional feedback methods might not capture all the nuances or subtleties of student interactions, making it difficult for teachers to identify areas for improvement effectively. 

Challenges of Traditional Teacher Evaluations

Conducting classroom observations or teacher evaluations to provide feedback can be labor-intensive, requiring significant time and resources. These evaluations provide feedback that is typically retrospective rather than real-time, meaning teachers might not receive feedback when it is most beneficial. 

Teachers might need more time to promptly correct their behaviors or approaches, affecting student learning outcomes.

Bias in Student Feedback

Teachers might also face challenges in providing fair and unbiased feedback to all students consistently. Biases, conscious or unconscious, might influence the feedback provided, leading to disparities in student engagement and learning. 

Traditional feedback methods might not have built-in mechanisms to mitigate these biases, which can affect the accuracy and reliability of the feedback provided.

The importance and relevance of using online feedback tools in modern education

Given these challenges, online feedback tools are increasingly becoming indispensable in modern education. These tools leverage technology and artificial intelligence to provide:

  • Personalized
  • Timely
  • Effective feedback to teachers. 

Online feedback tools can offer detailed insights into teaching practices, student interactions, and learning outcomes by analyzing:

  • Transcripts
  • Recordings
  • Other inputs from the classroom

This real-time feedback allows teachers to reflect on their practices, make adjustments as needed, and continuously improve their teaching effectiveness.

Scalability and Efficiency of Online Feedback Tools

Online feedback tools also address the scalability issue associated with traditional feedback methods by automating the feedback process. Teachers can receive feedback on their teaching practices without the need for expert observers or evaluators, making the feedback process more efficient and cost-effective. 

Online feedback tools can generate data-driven insights and recommendations based on many student responses, providing teachers with valuable information to inform their instructional decisions.

Adaptability to Digital and Blended Learning Environments

The rise of digital education and the increasing adoption of online learning platforms have further emphasized the importance of online feedback tools in modern education with the following:

  • Proliferation of virtual classrooms
  • Asynchronous learning environments
  • Blended learning models

Teachers need tools to adapt to these changes and provide meaningful feedback irrespective of the instructional setting. 

Online feedback tools offer a solution to this challenge by providing flexible, adaptable, and customizable feedback mechanisms that cater to various educational contexts and formats.

Digital Education Trends on Online Feedback Tools

Current trends in digital education make online feedback tools increasingly necessary. The digital transformation of education has ushered in several trends that underscore the necessity of online feedback tools in modern teaching practices. The shift towards:

  • Personalized learning
  • Competency-based education
  • Student-centered instruction 

It emphasizes the need for feedback mechanisms that cater to individual student needs, learning styles, and preferences. Online feedback tools can provide personalized feedback to students and teachers, supporting differentiated instruction and adaptive learning strategies.

Leveraging Data-Driven Insights for Instructional Improvement

The increasing emphasis on data-driven decision-making and evidence-based practices in education highlights the role of online feedback tools in:

  • Collecting
  • Analyzing
  • Interpreting educational data 

These tools can generate:

  • Actionable insights
  • Visualize learning progress
  • Measure teaching effectiveness

Enabling teachers to make informed instructional decisions and interventions. In a data-driven educational landscape, online feedback tools serve as valuable resources for teachers seeking to enhance their professional practice and improve student outcomes.

Enhancing Integration with Educational Technology and Virtual Classrooms

Integrating online feedback tools with:

  • Learning management systems
  • Educational technology platforms
  • Virtual classroom environments 

Streamlines the feedback process for teachers and students.

By automating the feedback loop, these tools facilitate:

  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Engagement 

Online learning settings foster a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in teaching and learning. As digital education continues to evolve and expand, the role of online feedback tools in enhancing instructional quality and student outcomes will only become more pronounced.

6 Benefits of Online Feedback Tools for Teachers

woman working on a laptop - Online Feedback Tools

1. Simplified Question Authoring

Online assessment tools streamline the question-authoring process, allowing educators to collaborate remotely and design questions easily.

2. Data Collection for Analysis

Online tools facilitate data collection over time, offering valuable insights into student performance that teachers can use to improve exam questions and formats.

3. Enhanced Test Security

Teachers can safeguard exam content by using online assessment tools, ensuring that questions remain protected and reducing the risks of answer sharing.

4. Flexibility in the Number and Format of Assessments

Educators can adapt assessment frequency and create unlimited exams every year, better serving their students with online assessment tools.

5. Personalized Assessments and Differentiated Instructional Resources

Online tools allow teachers to provide personalized learning based on assessment data, improving student performance efficiently.

6. Learner Analytics

Online assessment tools offer detailed analytics, enabling educators to analyze student performance and enhance lesson plans effectively.

Maximizing Efficiency with AI Grading Technology

EssayGrader is the most accurate AI grading platform, trusted by 60,000+ educators worldwide. On average, a teacher takes 10 minutes to grade a single essay.

Time Savings

With EssayGrader, that time is cut down to 30 seconds. That's a 95% reduction in the time it takes to grade an essay, with the same results. 

Custom Grading

Teachers can:

  • Replicate their grading rubrics (so AI doesn't have to do the guesswork to set the grading criteria)
  • Set up complete custom rubrics
  • Grade essays by class
  • Bulk upload essays
  • Use our AI detector to catch essays written by AI 
  • Summarize essays with our Essay summarizer

Wide Application

Our AI tool helps primary school, high school, and college professors grade their students' essays. 

Proven Results

Over half a million essays were graded by 60,000+ teachers on our platform. Save 95% of your time grading school work with our tool to get high-quality, specific, and accurate writing feedback for essays in seconds with EssayGrader's grading software for teachers. Get started for free today!

7 Types of Online Feedback Tools for Teachers

man working on a laptop - Online Feedback Tools

1. Digital Assessment Platforms 

Digital assessment platforms have revolutionized the feedback process, providing teachers real-time insights into student progress. These platforms offer:

  • Interactive quizzes 
  • Formative assessments
  • Personalized feedback 

Allowing teachers to tailor their instruction to individual student needs. With features like instant grading and detailed performance analytics, teachers can quickly identify areas of strength and areas that require further support, nurturing a growth mindset among students.

2. Video Feedback Platforms 

Video feedback tools enable teachers to provide personalized, multimedia feedback to students. By recording video messages, teachers can articulate feedback more dynamically and engagingly, offering a deeper understanding. 

This approach fosters a sense of connection and builds rapport between teachers and students, promoting a positive learning environment where feedback is seen as a valuable learning opportunity.

3. Collaborative Learning Platforms 

Collaborative learning platforms facilitate peer feedback and interaction among students. These tools encourage active participation, allowing students to provide feedback to their peers and engage in meaningful discussions. 

By working together, students learn from each other, develop their communication skills, and gain a deeper understanding of different perspectives, such platforms:

  • Promote a culture of constructive feedback
  • Fostering a supportive and collaborative classroom environment

4. Digital Annotation Tools 

Digital annotation tools empower teachers to provide targeted and interactive feedback on students’ work. These tools allow teachers to annotate documents, highlight specific areas for improvement, and provide detailed comments. 

Teachers can effectively communicate their feedback by incorporating visuals and annotations, making it more accessible and engaging for students. Digital annotation tools also enable students to reflect on their work and make revisions, promoting continuous learning and growth.

5. Interactive Polling and Survey Tools

Interactive polling and survey tools enable teachers to gather instant feedback and assess student understanding in real time. These tools engage students through the following:

  • Live polls
  • Surveys
  • Quizzes

 Encouraging active participation and generating valuable insights. 

Teachers can quickly gauge student comprehension, identify areas of confusion, and adjust their instruction accordingly. Interactive feedback tools transform the learning environment into an engaging, interactive space where every student’s voice is heard.

6. Learning Management Systems (LMS) 

Learning Management Systems offer comprehensive feedback and grading features, streamlining the feedback process for teachers. These platforms allow teachers to provide:

  • Feedback on assignments
  • Track student progress
  • Communicate with students and parents 

LMS platforms centralize feedback, making it easily accessible and ensuring that students have a clear understanding of their performance and areas for growth.

7. Digital Portfolio Platforms 

Digital portfolio platforms enable students to showcase their work and receive ongoing teacher feedback. These platforms allow students to curate and reflect upon their best pieces while teachers provide comments, suggestions, and praise.

Digital portfolios encourage:

  • Self-reflection
  • Goal setting
  • Long-term growth 

Instilling a sense of pride and ownership in students’ accomplishments.

Related Reading

24 Best Online Feedback Tools for Better Classroom Communication

woman working on a laptop - Online Feedback Tools

1. EssayGrader

EssayGrader is the most accurate AI grading platform, trusted by 60,000+ educators worldwide. On average, a teacher takes 10 minutes to grade a single essay.

Time Savings

With EssayGrader, that time is cut down to 30 seconds. That's a 95% reduction in the time it takes to grade an essay, with the same results. 

Custom Grading

Teachers can:

  • Replicate their grading rubrics (so AI doesn't have to do the guesswork to set the grading criteria)
  • Set up complete custom rubrics
  • Grade essays by class
  • Bulk upload essays
  • Use our AI detector to catch essays written by AI 
  • Summarize essays with our Essay summarizer

Wide Application

Our AI tool helps primary school, high school, and college professors grade their students' essays. 

Proven Results

Over half a million essays were graded by 60,000+ teachers on our platform. Save 95% of your time grading school work with our tool to get high-quality, specific, and accurate writing feedback for essays in seconds with EssayGrader's grading software for teachers. Get started for free today!

2. Formative

Formative is an online platform that allows educators to create formative assessments and track student progress in real-time with:

  • Various question types
  • Multimedia integration
  • Feedback options

Formative offers a comprehensive assessment experience to track your student's progress. It integrates with Google Classroom and allows for easy data storage and analysis. Formative offers a range of plans, including a free basic plan and premium plans with enhanced features.

3. Socrative

Socrative helps you engage students through formative assessments using:

  • Quizzes
  • Question polls
  • Exit tickets
  • Space races 

Socrative will instantly grade, aggregate, and provide visual results to help you identify opportunities for further instruction.

To get started using Socrative, simply register for a Socrative teacher account. Your Socrative account will work with other Socrative Apps and be available via all browsers. Students can connect to your unique room by opening their apps or joining your room on Socrative from any device.

4. Jotform

Jotform is a versatile, easy-to-use software. It offers thousands of customizable templates, including:

  • Math department student feedback form
  • Graduate student questionnaire
  • Student daily feedback form

You can edit these templates to get started quickly or create your form from scratch using the drag-and-drop Form Builder. You can include many different question types, such as:

  • Multiple-choice
  • Ratings
  • Open-ended

5. Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is another tool for creating polls to collect student feedback. You can choose from six survey question types and multiple activity types to present questions online or embed them in your teaching slides.

6. Ziplet

Ziplet is a check-in tool designed to gather student feedback and help teachers engage with students. 

You can use it to create exit tickets to measure how well students have understood a lesson, provide bellringer activities and learning prompts to get students involved before a lesson, and take in-class polls in less than 30 seconds.

7. Flubaroo

Flubaroo is an online teaching tool that helps you grade and analyze your students’ responses to Google Forms quizzes. Flubaroo is a Google Sheets add-on that automatically grades your quizzes based on the answer key you provide. You can also customize the grading options, such as assigning different point values, allowing partial credit, and ignoring case sensitivity. 

Flubaroo also generates reports and graphs showing your student's overall performance, individual scores, and question statistics. You can also email the results and feedback to your students using Flubaroo.

8. Edmodo

Edmodo is an Online Teaching Tool that helps you create a virtual classroom for your students. Edmodo allows you to:

  • Share assignments
  • Quizzes
  • Polls
  • Resources 

With your students, you can also monitor their progress, provide feedback, and communicate with them through:

  • Messages
  • Comments
  • Video calls

Edmodo also has a library of curated content and a community of Educators that you can access for inspiration and support.

9. Class123

Class123 is an online teaching tool that helps you manage your online classroom with fun and interactive features. Class123 allows you to create and customize your avatar and classroom. 

You can:

  • Assign tasks
  • Track attendance
  • Reward your students 

With coins, stickers, and trophies. Class123 also has a timer, a random selector, a noise meter, and a screen recorder that you can use to enhance your online teaching.

10. SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow allows educational institutions to gather feedback in a conversational user experience. It also offers powerful analytics to uncover patterns and pinpoint areas for improvement with features like:

  • Automated surveys
  • Reminders
  • Diverse question formats

11. Zonka Feedback

Zonka Feedback is a comprehensive student feedback platform that enhances the educational process by providing tailored feedback approaches and real-time analytics for data-driven decisions. 

12. Kahoot!

Kahoot encourages active learning through:

  • Interactive quizzes
  • Discussions
  • Surveys

It also offers analytics to help educators assess student progress and understanding in real time. 

13. GoFormative

GoFormative allows teachers to create assignments for formative and summative assessments, enabling real-time interaction across different devices and providing timely feedback. 

14. Mote

Mote is an audio recording tool that allows teachers to create and share audio notes via various platforms, including:

  • Gmail
  • Google Docs
  • Google Classroom

Supporting more than 20 languages for transcription. 

15. Kaizena

Kaizena facilitates the easy integration of voice comments into documents to provide audio feedback to students. It also features features for saving feedback to reuse in other documents and embedding YouTube videos. 

16. Quizalize

Quizalize is a game-based quiz-making tool that enhances student engagement and participation with customizable quizzes, including various question types and multimedia support. 

17. Vevox

Vevox is a polling and live Q&A platform that allows educators to create interactive polls and quizzes to gauge student understanding in real-time, promoting honest and candid responses. 

18. Classkick

Classkick is a collaborative learning platform that offers interactive assignments, real-time student progress monitoring, and peer feedback, integrating with Google Classroom for seamless use. 

19. ClassDojo

ClassDojo is an online tool for exchanging feedback between:

  • Teachers
  • Students
  • Parents

Enabling real-time performance tracking and communication for active student engagement. 

20. Seesaw

Seesaw is a classroom app that enables teachers to assign:

  • Various activities for students
  • View uploaded homework
  • Provide feedback 

Promoting collaboration between:

  • Students
  • Teachers
  • Parents

21. Screencastify

Screencastify is a screen recording program that supports giving feedback through video recordings, annotations, and guided learning. It allows students to revisit feedback for self-paced learning. 

22. Vocaroo

Vocaroo is a web-based voice recorder that offers a time-efficient way to provide personalized feedback through audio recordings. Students can access feedback links to understand better.

23. Audacity

Audacity is an open-source platform that allows you to record and edit your feedback before sharing it with your students. Giving audio feedback is productive for teachers because it can be done faster, and students benefit from authentic, timely, and personalized feedback.

Audio feedback allows you to connect with your students similarly to onsite classes. Students hear your voice and understand the subtleties of your tone. If you focus on something other than negative feedback, your interventions will have the desired outcome.

24. Talk and Comment

Talk and Comment is a Chrome extension that allows you to make voice notes and comments on any site. You record your voice using the widget from your browser and paste the generated link where you want.

With this feature, you can provide personalized feedback while you read your students' work. It's faster than checking assignments on paper. Also, receiving timely feedback translates into better understanding and increased student engagement.

Top 10 Tips for Choosing the Right Feedback Tool

discussion on Choosing the Right Feedback Tool

1. Ease of Use

When selecting an online feedback tool, prioritize user-friendliness. An easy-to-use tool with a chat-like interface can boost response rates and engagement.

2. Customization 

Choose a tool that allows you to customize it according to your needs. This customization can include:

  • Tailoring question types
  • Themes
  • Workflow

3. Anonymity Option 

Look for tools that offer an anonymity option. This can be beneficial for students to share vulnerable feedback, especially for those dealing with mental health issues.

4. Research and Analytical Capability 

Opt for a tool that provides proper research and analytical capabilities. This feature allows you to efficiently:

  • Gather data
  • Perform statistical analysis
  • Generate reports 

To aid decision-making in teaching methods.

5. Mobile Compatibility 

Consider how well the tool works on mobile devices. Mobile compatibility is crucial for ensuring accessibility to students using various devices.

6. Integration with Learning Management Systems

Ensure that survey feedback integrates seamlessly with your learning management systems. This integration is essential for streamlining the feedback process.

7. Scalability 

Choose a tool that can accommodate class sizes, from small groups to large lectures, without compromising performance or user experience.

8. Customer Support

Check the tool's track record for customer support and technical assistance. A tool with reliable customer service can help troubleshoot issues promptly.

9. Transparency and Trust 

Look for tools that facilitate collecting and disseminating feedback results to students. This transparency enhances trust in the feedback process.

10. Data Protection 

Verify that the tool adheres to relevant data protection regulations and standards to safeguard sensitive student information.

Considering these factors, you can select the right online feedback tool that aligns with your teaching goals and student needs.

Save Time While Grading Schoolwork with EssayGrader's Grading Software for Teachers

Teachers can find grading essays time-consuming and challenging. However, with the advancement of AI technology, tools specifically designed for teachers can help streamline this process.

A Trusted Platform

One remarkable tool that stands out in essay grading is EssayGrader, a platform trusted by over 60,000 educators worldwide. 

Time Efficiency Boost

EssayGrader offers an efficient solution for teachers, enabling them to grade essays in a fraction of the time it would take manually. 

Dramatic Time Savings

On average, a teacher takes around 10 minutes to grade a single essay. With EssayGrader, this time is reduced to a mere 30 seconds, representing a significant 95% reduction in grading time. 

Focus Shift for Teachers

This staggering reduction in time spent grading essays allows teachers to focus on other essential aspects of their teaching responsibilities.

Personalized Grading

With EssayGrader, teachers can replicate their grading rubrics, ensuring that the AI does not have to guess the grading criteria.

Bulk Grading Convenience

Teachers can set up custom rubrics tailored to their specific requirements. This feature allows for personalized grading standards and ensures students receive accurate and detailed essay feedback.

AI-Powered Authenticity

The platform also supports bulk upload of essays, making it convenient for teachers to grade multiple essays simultaneously. 

Essay Summarization Tool

EssayGrader provides an AI detector that can identify essays written by AI, ensuring the authenticity of student submissions.

Diverse User Base

One of EssayGrader's standout features is its essay summarizer. This tool allows teachers to obtain a concise summary of each essay, enabling them to quickly grasp the main points and themes presented by students. 

Proven Platform Effectiveness

This summary feature can be handy when teachers need to review many essays within a limited time frame. EssayGrader caters to teachers across different educational levels, including primary school, high school, and college professors. 

AI for Improved Feedback

Over half a million essays have been graded using this platform, highlighting its effectiveness and popularity among educators. EssayGrader is a valuable tool that significantly simplifies the essay grading process for teachers.

Benefits for Teachers

By leveraging AI technology, teachers can save considerable time while providing their students with high-quality, specific, and accurate feedback on their writing assignments. 

Enhance Your Grading Process

To enhance your essay grading process and improve efficiency, consider incorporating EssayGrader into your teaching toolkit.

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