Student Evidence and Instructor Feedback That Are “Verifiable, Usable”[1]

One of the benefits for teachers grading and requiring specific sources is that the teacher automatically has the evidence for the feedback—evidence that anyone could verify, including the student. Given feedback on basic skills (for example the Evidence Checklist) is also “usable”—practical to their futures. Having feedback that is both “verifiable, usable” is essential to helping students learn about evidence.

 

Requiring students to have evidence that is “verifiable, usable” also develops or strengthens basic skills for many aspects of life. With bosses (and with most aspects of our lives), when we deal with real things, our jobs will be safer if we first verify the facts we use with a reliable source and we make sure that we have enough content that we can do our job. The phrase “verifiable, usable” captures the kind of truth that everyone needs:

§         to make a personal or financial decision

§         to act successfully in getting and keeping a job

§         to decide who vote for or who to try to help get elected or what laws need to happen

 

This student’s example below illustrates what is not “verifiable” and also not “usable.” This student thought of writing as putting the words together skillfully and having an opinion, not as writing about something real that therefore could be right or wrong.

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or cjb_classes@yahoo.com

Last Updated:

2012

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/

 

 

 

 



[1] The phrase “verifiable, usable” is from the back cover of Richard J. Evans’ In Defense of History, “a spirited defense of the search for historical truth.” It is a phrase from a book review of Evans’ book in The New Republic, but the phrase also captures the kind of truth that everyone needs:

§         to make a personal or financial decision

§         to act successfully in getting and keeping a job

§         to decide who vote for or who to try to help get elected or what laws need to happen