Using AI for student feedback?

As more instructors turn to AI tools to streamline the feedback process, it’s important to remember that technology is only as effective as the way it’s used. While AI can help generate or refine feedback quickly, instructors are still responsible for the feedback they deliver to students.

If you’re using AI to help with feedback, here are a few important guidelines to keep in mind:

1) Length and Structure
The length of your feedback should be proportional to the complexity of the student’s submission. More doesn’t always mean better—if feedback is too long, students may not engage with it, no matter how high the quality.

We recommend sticking to rubric-based feedback (on by default in TimelyGrader), which ties comments directly to specific grading criteria. This helps students quickly identify which areas need improvement.

However, if your rubric has more than six criteria, that can result in a lot of feedback for students to sift through. In these cases, consider using the General & Detailed Feedback structure (also available in TimelyGrader):

• General Feedback provides an overall summary.

• Detailed Feedback highlights a few key areas to review.
  This approach keeps feedback focused and prevents students from feeling overwhelmed.

2) Owning the Feedback
As the instructor, you are ultimately responsible for the feedback your students receive. Always review AI-generated comments to ensure they’re accurate, appropriate, and aligned with your rubric, tone, and expectations.

A good rule of thumb: read the feedback and ask yourself if you’d be comfortable giving it directly to your students. Reading it out loud can help you catch awkward phrasing or unclear points. If you need to adjust the tone, add or remove details, or change the wording, that’s your essential role as the human in the loop.

Remember, TimelyGrader is here to assist and not replace or automate your feedback process.