Enhancing Online Feedback for Philosophers: Lessons from the Writing Centre

While written feedback continues to be the dominant medium for providing students with an evaluation of their work, the online learning environment complicates this process. Online feedback to students requires a unique set of skills that cannot rely on body language, vocal tone, verbal and non-verbal cues, and synchronous communication in real time. For instructors with limited teacher training who are facing increasing class sizes with online components, best practices in online feedback can address this need. We draw on established writing centre scholarship and resources to offer recommendations. Like philosophy instructors, writing coaches are often trained in the Socratic method and dialogue, and these techniques inform asynchronous writing coaching. Writing centre pedagogy positions the students and their writing process to help the student develop as academic writers. We discuss how to build a trusting relationship with students via asynchronous written feedback, increasing students’ likelihood of retention and uptake of feedback through three themed strategies from the writing centre: promoting a positive affect, approachability, and accountability. This paper provides guidelines, concrete suggestions, and a feedback template for adapting online writing centre feedback techniques for philosophers.