Feedback to students

Rosalind Duhs Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT)

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Seminar intended learning outcomes

After the seminar, participants are expected to be able to: Formulate broad definitions of feedback to promote student learning Facilitate and encourage student use of feedback Provide students with useful feedback in diverse ways.

Definitions of feedback 1

Written comments on written work

Definitions of feedback 2

A dialogue (written and/or spoken) with a learner which provides information on the quality of work with advice on how to develop and improve

A dialogic feedback system

Broadening conceptions of feedback

Every opportunity a student has to find out about their level of knowledge, understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes can be seen as feedback.
Useful feedback does not always have to come from tutors.

Transparent definitions of feedback

Ensure that students: work with broader definitions of feedback know how they will get feedback integrate processes for acting on feedback into their study patterns

Facilitate and encourage student use of feedback

The traditional pattern of feedback

Traditional pattern: tutor student

Student does work. Tutor comments. Student looks at mark. Student does not always study comments. Student may not understand comments.

Feedback pattern to engage students 1

1. Student does work and comments on it. 2. Student submits draft and/or works on draft with peer review and tutor check. 3. Student improves work. 4. Student submits work to tutor for marking and feedback. 5. Student studies feedback. 6. Student plans follow-up action.

Feedback pattern to engage students 2

Draft and redraft

Recommended pattern: student student/peers/tutor student tutor student student

Self Assessment

Peer Assessment

Tutor Assessment
Feedback action plan

Rosalind Duhs 2010

The dialogic feedback system

TUTOR

STUDENT

STUDENT

PEERS

Rosalind Duhs 2010

Why a dialogue?

To engage students To encourage awareness of learning To promote time on task To help students develop insight into what is required of them

To work as we do when we disseminate our research Why cant students work in this way?

We check the criteria for submissions to journals We ensure that we are meeting criteria (self-assessment) We ask colleagues to read our draft papers OR we work in research teams (peer assessment) We get feedback from journals and revise our work (similar to feedback on drafts from tutors)

Embed feedback and promote student understanding of how work is assessed

Explicit Criteria

Active engagement with feedback

Students
Completion and submission o f work

Active engageme nt with crite ria

Figure: Berry ODonovan & Chris Rust ASKe Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, (Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange) Oxford Brookes University

Use assessment criteria and related exemplars to promote understanding of feedback

Provide students with useful feedback in diverse ways

Main conditions for useful feedback (Sadler 1989) Knowledge of what constitutes a good performance Knowledge of how the current performance relates to a good performance Skills to act to close the gap between the current and a good performance
And timely

Useful feedback: the student perspective

Students often find it difficult to understand feedback (Lea and Street, 1998) Feedback appears vague (Higgins, 2000) Language is impenetrable (Lea and Street, 1998; Ridsdale 2000)

Difficulty understanding comments

phrases such as deeper analysis required often mean very little to students and are, in fact, open to misinterpretation.

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/should_we_be_giving_less?i=acad emyYork

Tutor feedback for learning 1

Write a brief summary of your view of the assignment Balance negative with positive comments Use constructive criticism to provide positive suggestions for improvement Ask questions which encourage reflection about the work Explain all your comments

Tutor feedback for learning 2 (feedforward)

Suggest follow-up work and references Suggest specific ways to improve the assignment Explain the mark or the grade and why it is not better or worse Offer help with specific problems Offer the opportunity to discuss the assignment and your comments.
Gibbs, G, and Habeshaw, T, Preparing to Teach: An introduction to effective teaching in higher education

Focus on what is most likely to have greatest benefit

Give students something digestible (right for their level) to work on

Draft and redraft using Turnitin

Use a Turnitin (plagiarism detection tool) co-ordinator and advisers

Aim promote student understanding of how to write without unintentional plagiarism Students are free to submit and resubmit to Turnitin Patch writing is a stage of development as students learn academic writing. Norms regarding referencing can vary internationally

Use IT (eg Moodle) for feedback and questionnaires and quizzes for learning

Use a virtual learning environment for embedded video and follow-up quizzes for feedback to prepare students for lab work.
Upload general feedback about a piece of work. Refer to paragraphs for individual feedback on texts.

Feedback short cuts 1

Work electronically and paste in comments from a separate file Use a handout with numbered comments. Write the number where you want to comment.

Feedback shortcuts 2

Differentiate between style- or method-related and content comments, eg use letters for style and reuse, including examples. Use numbers for comments on content. Sound-record comments. Audio feedback is wellreceived by students. See this JISC-funded project http://sites.google.com/site/soundsgooduk/Home

Conclusion The seven principles of good feedback

1. Facilitates the development of self assessment (reflection) in learning. 2. Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning. 3. Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standards). 4. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance. 5. Delivers high quality information to students about their learning. 6. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem. 7. Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape teaching. (SENLEF)

References
Higgins, R. (2000). Be more critical: Rethinking assessment feedback. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Conference, Cardiff University, September 7-10. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001548.htm Lea, M. & Street, B. (1998) Student Writing in Higher Education: an academic literacies approach. Studies in Higher Education, 23 (2), pp. 157-172 Ridsdale, M.L.Ive read his comments but I dont know how to do:International postgraduate student perceptions of written supervisor feedback. In Sources of confusion: refereed proceedings of the national language and academic skills conference held at La Trobe University, November 27-28,2000 edited by \k \charnock, pp272-282. Rust, C, Price, M. & ODonovan, B. (2003) Improving students learning by developing their understanding of assessment criteria and processes, Assessment and Evaluation. 28, 147-164. Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18, 119-144. SENLEF http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/learning/assessment/senlef

Additional resources

Please also see the assessment and feedback short course Moodle page.
UCLMoodle/all courses/Social and Historical Sciences/CALT/ Assessment and Feedback These pages are open to guest users.