Exploring Students' Use of Feedback to Take Ownership and Deepen Learning in an Online Program

This study explored how students perceive and use feedback to take ownership and deepen their learning in an online graduate degree program. A review of the literature revealed that the context and conditions in which feedback is given impact students' understanding and receptivity to feedback and affect how students use feedback to deepen their learning and become self-regulated learners. To research what the literature revealed, an exploratory, sequential, mixed method design was used to examine the conditions and the context in which feedback was most impactful in helping students. Results indicated that students preferred mixed modalities of feedback and appreciated feedback that helped them achieve their learning goals. Findings revealed significant learning environments that encourage learner choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (conditions) are optimal for students to understand and be receptive to feedback; have dialogue and discourse with instructors for meaningful learning; and use appropriate feedback modalities (context) to build self-regulated, independent, and deep learners.