AI can produce many comments on a student’s essay in a short time. However, the first feedback produced by AI may not be ready for classroom use. Teachers often need to adapt it.
A study on ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback examined how EFL instructors used ChatGPT to help provide corrective and rhetorical feedback. Corrective feedback focused on language errors, while rhetorical feedback focused on organization, ideas, and argument. The teachers received AI-generated comments, reviewed them, and then provided individualized feedback to students.
This process shows that teachers do more than pass AI comments directly to learners. They decide which errors are important, simplify difficult explanations, and make comments more suitable for each student. Teachers may also remove unnecessary suggestions because too much feedback can confuse learners.
The study suggests that AI can increase the amount and speed of feedback. At the same time, teacher judgment remains necessary. A teacher understands the course goals, students’ language levels, and the purpose of the assignment. AI may provide a starting point, but teachers turn that information into useful classroom feedback.
Teachers may therefore develop positive attitudes when AI supports, rather than controls, their professional work. They are more likely to accept AI when they can edit the output and remain responsible for the final message.
Scientific source: Han, J., et al. (2024). Exploring ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback in the EFL writing classroom. The study examined teacher adaptation of ChatGPT-generated corrective and rhetorical feedback.