The effect of digital feedback on students’ academic writing skills

Abstract: Digital tools for feedback are frequently used in educational contexts and this feature of teaching, and learning, will be an integral part of school systems going forward. The purpose of this research synthesis is to answer how students’ academic writing could be improved by digital feedback, which features of writing that are most affected by this kind of feedback, and how students and teachers experience digital tools and digital feedback. The research suggested that student academic writing skills could be improved by digital feedback. However, the digital feedback was mostly given on surface-level features of writing, such as grammar and punctuation. The digital tools connected to our studies are MyCompLab, Criterion, and a small scale E-platform created by the author of the study. Teachers and students are in general very positive towards digital tools for feedback in school.