Feedback that Facilitates Learning: T he Views of Postgraduate Students

1. Feedback that Facilitates Learning: The Views of Postgraduate Students Ms S Sithole (Masters -Nursing Education) & N G. Mtshali (PhD- Nursing Education) 2011 UKZN Teaching and Learning Conference School of Nursing

2. Introduction • Feedback is one of the most important aspects of the assessment practice and is an essential part of the learning process (Hyland & Hyland, 2001). • Feedback is integral to effective and efficient teaching and learning and ensures that students are aware of their strengths and weaknesses in their performance (Gibbs & Simpson, 2004). • Quality and effective feedback allows students to make the necessary adjustments if they are deemed not yet competent and that completes the feedback loop (Africa Competency Development, 2008).

3. Some lecturers however give feedback that is personal, destructive or confusing in nature (Wilhelm 2008). “What is this?”, “Nonsense”, “Rubbish”, “Disastrous”, “This leads to nowhere”, “It is only your minimal material knowledge that prevents me from giving you an F”. [These are statements of feedback to students in one university- Studvest, 2004] Students are often confronted by statements such as “this does not make sense”, “be more critical”, “you need to think carefully about your structure”, The students find such feedback confusing and they fail to make meaning out of it (Higgins, Hartley & Skelton, 2000)

4. Problem statement (1) • Although feedback seems widely valued by both; the students and lecturers (Hounsell, 2003), previous research revealed inadequate preparation of lecturers for giving feedback, poor preparation of the students for utilizing feedback (Chanock , 2000), increasing student numbers, increasing volumes of marking, the move to competency-based learning with emphasis on formative assessment (Harland, 2002), isolation of feedback from the teaching and learning process (Taras, 2003), and the students ability to utilize feedback, as challenges related to the practice of assessment (Knit & Yorke, 2004). • More importantly, according to Weaver (2006) what constitute effective feedback remains illusive, vague and poorly defined, hence the need for this study.

5. Purpose of the Study To explore the views of Postgraduate students about the nature of the feedback they receive and whether it facilitated their learning. Research Objectives Identify methods/types of feedback given to students. Identify the characteristics of feedback that facilitates students learning. Explore how students response to feedback..

6. Research Methodology • Design: An exploratory descriptive study • Setting: School of Nursing in one of the Higher Education Institutions in KZN • Target Population: 81 PG nursing students; Bachelor of Nursing Honours Degree, N=9 ; Coursework Masters Degree, N=72 [All requested to participate] • Total number that participated: 55 participated (68% response rate) • Data collection tools: Structured questionnaire & Document analysis: 8 test scripts & 8 assignments • Ethical clearance obtained, permission from HOS and informed consent from the students.

7. Results Of Data Collected Through A Structured Questionnaire

8. Types of feedback received in %

9. Characteristics of feedback given to students

10. Nature of feedback

11. Students’ perceptions about feedback and their response to feedback

12. Interpretation of Findings THE FEEDBACK PROCESS STUDENT’S RESPONSE STUDENT’S STYLE OF ENGAGEMENT Engages in dialogue Internalize and applies Ignores Engages (surface/deep level) or Disengages Student interprets assessor’s feedback Student receives Student creates assignment Rejects Re-interprets Feedback on Assessment Completed Assignment Assessment Brief CONTEXTUAL Other response Assessor writes assessment brief Assessor marks assignment and creates feedback ASSESOR’S RESPONSE ASSESSOR’S STYLE OF ENGAGEMENT Contextual and Temporal Aspects of Feedback Adapted from Handley, Price and Millar (2008)

13. Recommendations • Issues of feedback and its importance in facilitating learning should be addressed as early as possible in the education programme. • The skill of providing feedback should be strengthened amongst the lecturers. • Students should receive regular and consistent information about their development and progress. • Feedback about performance in assessments helps to identify strengths and weaknesses, both in the students and the curriculum, that allow for changes to be made.

15. References • Africa Competency Development, (2008). Assessor Training Workshop Manual, Africa Competency Development (Pty) Ltd. Cape Town. • Gibbs, G., Simpson, C. (2004-05). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education 1, 3-31. •  Handley, k., Price, M., Millar J. (2008). When less is more: Students’ experiences of assessment feedback. Oxford Brookes University. • Hounsell, D. (2003). 'Student feedback, learning and development'. In: Slowey, M. and Watson, D. ed. Higher Education and life course. Buckingham: SRHE & Open University Press.pp.67-78 • Hyland, F., Hyland, K. (2001). Sugaring the pill: praise and criticism in written feedback, Journal of Second Language Writing. 10, 185-212. • Knight, P., Yorke, M. (2004). Assessment, Learning and Employability. Maidenhead.SRHE and Open University Press. • Weaver, M.R., (2006). Do students’ value feedback? Student perceptions of tutors´ written responses. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31 (3), 379-394.