If you would've told me 10 years ago that I would be teaching all of my classes sitting down in front of a computer screen I would have laughed at the idea. A decade later, it almost seems like second nature. Education is evolving and technology is playing the biggest part of this transformation.

Virtual spaces are reshaping the relationship and dynamics of the traditional classroom. Teachers are no longer bound to the constraints of a room or the time-consuming task of grading. That's why we are seeing hundreds or even thousands of students taking the same courses at once on popular websites. But this may come at the expense of the benefits of face-to-face and direct interactions.

When you design custom tools for a virtual classroom or hire the services of a software developer such as https://www.bairesdev.com/software-development-services,  keep in mind that you should aim for a solution that tries to balance the best of both the virtual and the real world. For example, even if we aim for massive reach and asynchronous communication, we cannot forget the importance of good feedback.

What are the feedback loops?

In human interactions, feedback is what happens when the outcome of behavior influences the person who acted. For example, when a student gets a failing grade and decides to prepare better for a makeup test. In that case, the grade is the feedback as it feeds back into the student, who then makes a decision based upon that information.

A feedback loop is what you get when the process is recursive. In other words, when you don't stick to a single set of behavior and outcome, but rather keep on going and make adjustments with each iteration until you reach a goal. Feedback loops that enhance or reinforce a behavior are positive loops. Feedback loops that diminish or inhibit a behavior are negative loops.

A common misconception is that a lack of information or communication is a lack of feedback. There is no such thing as no feedback. What people usually mean when they talk about lacking feedback is that they aren't getting enough information or the right kind of information. Even a blank stare is a feedback loop. If you've ever experienced it, you probably know how unsettling it can feel.

Feedback loops in the classroom

Positive and negative feedback loops are extremely important in teaching environments. We want our students to keep doing the things they do right. And at the same time, we want them to stop doing the things that impair their development. Every interaction in the classroom is a feedback loop. Grading, commenting, correcting or asking are all learning opportunities.

But, as I said before, feedback may be vague or insufficient. In both cases, the outcome is similar: the student may misread the feedback, or grow frustrated since there isn't enough information to reflect upon. For example, grading a test without telling the student what they got wrong doesn't give the student an opportunity to learn from their mistakes, and it may feel unjust.

When you take into account feedback loops, designing a virtual classroom isn't just a matter of asking "What's the best way to share this information?" You also need to address questions such as:

• How do I know if the students understood the class?

• How can they get in contact with me and ask questions?

• How can I help them think about the content?

• How are they feeling about the content?

• What did they misunderstand and how can I help them?

Fortunately, application development companies just keep adding more functionalities to classroom apps. So it's never been easier to design great feedback loops to motivate your students and help them achieve their goals.

The 3 rules of feedback loops

The first rule, and by far the most important is: be timely. The sooner you give feedback to your students, the bigger the effect it's going to have. It's hard to care for an opinion about something the student did two months ago. If you take too long, your student is probably going to take that silence as a feedback, and that's not the loop you want to set up.

Now, let's get one myth out of the way. A virtual environment doesn't mean there is less feedback or that it's slower. Just take a look at video games. Making games isn't just about pretty graphics – it's about designing enticing feedback loops that keep people coming back for more. And that's precisely why gamification is playing such a big part in classroom apps nowadays.

The second rule is: be precise. Give enough feedback to get the student working towards a new behavior, but not so much feedback that they feel lost. Once again, take a look at how video games do it for inspiration. Game tutorials teach one mechanic at a time and then test the player on each mechanic independently.

The third rule is: be personal. Feedback loops are really powerful when they are tailored to each student. Use tools that keep track of a student's progress so that they know when they've improved (taking less time with a task or making fewer mistakes). Take your time to write comments on what your students post on your classroom's board. And whenever possible, design more than one activity so that students get to pick what motivates them the most.

Remember, a feedback loop is only as good as the tools you use. Pick the right apps to help you reach that sweet-spot between a good loop and a pleasant experience for you.