Babu Dasari

Presentation Title: Feedback as Pedagogy — Teaching Through SpeedGrader

Research in the learning sciences consistently shows that feedback is one of the most potent influences on student learning—when it is timely, specific, and actionable. Yet in many online courses, feedback is treated primarily as an administrative task rather than a teaching practice. Comments often focus on point justification instead of learning improvement, leaving students unclear about expectations and making it unlikely for them to apply feedback to future work. This session reframes feedback as pedagogy and positions Canvas SpeedGrader not merely as a grading interface, but as an intentional teaching space that supports learning, reflection, and growth.

Grounded in formative feedback research, the session emphasizes feedback that helps students answer three essential learning questions: Where am I going? How am I doing? What should I do next? Drawing on studies by Hattie and Timperley (2007), Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2006), and Winstone et al. (2017), the session demonstrates how SpeedGrader tools—such as rubric-aligned comments, inline annotations, and brief audio or video feedback—can shift instructor practice from error correction to explaining quality, identifying patterns of performance, and offering feedforward guidance for subsequent assignments. When feedback is explicitly aligned with learning outcomes and future tasks, it promotes self-regulation and learning transfer rather than functioning as a one-time evaluation.

The session also highlights the importance of equity and inclusion in online feedback practices. Research on inclusive teaching and Universal Design for Learning suggests that vague or inconsistent feedback disproportionately disadvantages first-generation, multilingual, and underprepared students. Transparent rubrics, consistent language, and multimodal feedback options can reduce ambiguity, communicate care, and support diverse learners without lowering academic standards.

Using a design-based, practice-informed approach, the session draws on instructional design principles and analysis of authentic online course artifacts to illustrate sustainable feedback strategies embedded within course workflows. Faculty concerns about time are addressed through evidence-based efficiency practices, including comment libraries, strategic use of global feedback, and assignment sequencing that requires students to engage with and apply prior feedback.

In online and hybrid environments—particularly in an AI-enabled era where assessment practices are being reexamined—feedback remains one of the most human and impactful acts of teaching. Reframing SpeedGrader as a pedagogical space enables feedback to serve not only as grading, but also as instruction.

Selected References
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). Review of Educational Research
Nicol, D., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Studies in Higher Education
Winstone, N. et al. (2017). Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education

Bio

Babu Dasari is an Instructional Designer II at Texas Southern University with extensive experience spanning research, teaching, and instructional design. He has taught more than 175 courses in economics and statistics across institutions, including Temple University, Rutgers University, the University of Houston, and TSU. His work focuses on evidence-based online and hybrid course design, authentic assessment, active learning, and the effective use of instructional technologies. Passionate about student success, Babu partners with and trains faculty to enhance teaching practices and learning outcomes. In recent years, his work has centered on the responsible and effective integration of artificial intelligence in higher education to support engagement, equity, and meaningful learning experiences.