In a recent editorial for Inside Higher Ed, Johanna Alonso discusses two studies on academic alerts that investigated the impact of emailing feedback to students and texting students about assignments and deadlines. The studies found that these communications helped students do better early in the semester, but as the course progressed, student performance fell in line with that of classmates who did not receive these “nudges.” Researcher Chanit’a Holmes (Virginia Tech) explained that future studies could explore how the frequency and content of alerts changes this outcome, as well as ways to address challenges such as student disappointment in not seeing an improvement in their grades.
Inside Higher Ed (Acct. Req.)
