Technology-Enhanced Language Learning and Teaching

Automated Feedback

Automatic feedback refers to computer-supported corrective feedback. It is different from conventional face-to-face corrective feedback. It substitutes feedback provided by the teacher. After learners input language materials into the automated feedback system, it provides immediate feedback. For example, feedback can help solve problems in sentence-level grammar. Feedback can free the teachers as they are able to focus on higher-level problems (e.g., content and discourse). Learners can revise their work freely without consulting with teachers.

The limitation of automated feedback is its one-size-fits-all nature and low accuracy rate. Because such feedback does not account for individual differences because its error types are not determined by pedagogical considerations but technological capacities. Moreover, the evaluation and generation of discourse-related feedback is one big challenge for systems.