The feedback that you give your learners can mean the difference between disillusionment and renewed commitment. In this episode of the UDL Guidelines podcast, you'll discover the power of action-oriented feedback. We'll consider practical strategies across three key areas: writing future-oriented commentary that emphasizes process rather than person; creating course structures that position feedback between assignments rather than just at the end; and explicitly teaching your learners how to understand and act on feedback they receive. Whether you're looking to improve the quality of your gradebook comments or help students develop the feedback literacy they'll need in their careers, this episode offers actionable approaches that you can use to implement Universal Design for Learning in your own learning community.

This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. Learn more at goodwin.edu.

UDL Tips

"Action-Oriented Feedback: Strategies That Work"

Resources

Anthropic. (2025). Claude Opus 4.5 [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/

Angelo, T. A., & Zakrajsek, T. D. (2024). Classroom assessment techniques: Formative feedback tools for college and university teachers. John Wiley & Sons.

Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: Enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315-1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354

CAST. (2024). Offer action-oriented feedback. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/effort-persistence/feedback

Henderson, M., Ryan, T., Boud, D., Dawson, P., Phillips, M., Molloy, E., & Mahoney, P. (2019). The usefulness of feedback. Active Learning in Higher Education, 22(3), 229-243. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787419872393

Wisniewski, B., Zierer, K., & Hattie, J. (2020). The power of feedback revisited: A meta-analysis of educational feedback research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 3087. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03087

Credits

Based on UDL Tips by Diana J. LaRocco, EdD
Produced and Hosted by Brian A. Dixon, PhD
Music by Lynne Publishing