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PROVIDING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS

Why the interest in assignment feedback?. Race (2003)Assignment feedback is one of the most important factors underpinning effective learning.'BUTThose who are most academically challenged are the least likely to accept or utilise standard written feedback (Reid, 1995).. Institutional Benefits.

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PROVIDING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS

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    1. PROVIDING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS Dr Nadia Wager School of Human Sciences and Law Psychology Buckinghamshire New University

    2. Why the interest in assignment feedback? Race (2003) Assignment feedback ‘is one of the most important factors underpinning effective learning.’ BUT Those who are most academically challenged are the least likely to accept or utilise standard written feedback (Reid, 1995).

    3. Institutional Benefits Feedback has potential to enhance: student performance retention rates completion rates

    4. Benefits for the students An additional learning resource Removes the feelings of uncertainty - clarifies the goals Builds confidence Provides a sense of direction

    5. Students’ Desires To improve future assignments Generic and specific feedback ‘How to suggestions’ Why was it good? Maintenance of motivation Positive comments too please

    6. Lecturers’ Objectives Strong similarity between student desires and lecturers’ objectives

    7. Current Practice: Lecturers Written assignment top sheets Belief that students look only at the percentage mark Perceived diversity in terms of quantity, quality and nature of comments Is diversity real or illusory?

    8. Current Practice: Students Feedback forms not collected 30% admitted to not reading feedback forms WHY? Strategic learning style feedback lacks clarity and direction emotional inhibition

    9. Good practice according to the literature Language avoid ‘final’ vocabulary, e.g. good, right or poor - does not permit change or repetition Use formative rather than summative language, e.g. ‘do, don’t and how’ rather than ‘did, didn’t and why’ - gives direction for improvement Focus of Feedback comment on the essay and not the author

    10. Considered Alternatives Verbal Feedback Generalised Group Feedback Some purely Formative Assessments Student Directed Feedback

    11. Experimenting with verbal feedback Appreciated by students: 4 students stated that feedback tutorial was the best thing about the module on evaluation forms “Expectations of essay and exam were made clear and as a result I felt a lot more confident in my ability.”

    12. Advantages and Disadvantages of verbal feedback Comments more likely to be constructive and related to learning objectives students remember more of the content Opportunity for student ‘voice’ BUT Time consuming - more than doubles workload Lecturer’s confidence and social skills

    13. Developing a more user friendly alternative: Student Directed Feedback Emphasises student voice 3 sections: Performance Matrix Student Requests General communication Rationale Motivation to read and use legible generic indicator of performance

    14. Piloting Student Directed Feedback 33 2nd Year Social Scientists 18 returned the forms with assignment Only 8 asked for specific feedback Examined the relationship between performance matrix and requests Weaknesses and strengths targeted for comment Strengths - Indication of poor judgement of ability?

    15. Students response to my feedback on assignments 14 students responded to my request for feedback on the feedback I had given them 65% felt the mark was fair - mean 64 35% felt the mark was unfair - mean 48 Unfair - mark was on average 5.6% lower than their average mark for level 2 Fair - mark was on average 4% higher than their average mark for level 2 Fair- 33% registered on my level three course Unfair - 20% registered on my level three course

    16. Why unfair? My essay was well structured and I made reference to all the areas the tutor told me to mention. Assistance was very limited. Tutor was meant to email me some information and failed to do, even though I asked on numerous occasions (47%). When discussing essay plan with tutor I was told it was too broad – so I had narrowed it down, But in the right direction. I had used a similar structure to that of the essay plan I had submitted. Also the comments on essay plan is different to the I received on the actual essay (30%)

    17. Why fair? Yes- Pleased that the comments have stuck to the areas on which I asked for feedback. Good balance between positive and negative comments {Yes} Well, honestly I was hoping for and expecting it to be over 50% as I had put a lot of work and time into it as it was a retake. Though I will come to speak with you again perhaps if I do need help again (46%b) Very fair and I’m very pleased with it – Thank you (70%)

    18. Response to latest verbal feedback My new nick name ‘The B***H’ Colleagues advice My Dilemma

    19. Introducing the Action Plan Verbal feedback and then student completed an action plan Outlined which aspect they would tackle in a future assignment and how they would go about it. Need to identify resources Skills etc Process

    20. Did it work? The following year 60% of the students joined my level three group After marking the assignments I compared the feedback I had written on the two separate occasions and also looked across the action plan sheets. For almost 50% of the students they were no longer receiving ‘negative’ comments about the issues highlighted in the first assignment feedback

    21. Why did it work? engaged with the issues Took responsibility for improvement Sense of hope. Verbal feedback – one student gained a first class award – she claims this is because she learned to structure her assignments through the feedback given and the targeted effort she put in to her work.

    22. Action Plans and Formative Assessment: Views from the students… ‘I found the feedback very useful and was feeling much more confident while writing the report for the second time.’ I [usually] read my assignment feedback from my tutors, [but I have learned that] I should make a note in order to review it when writing the next assignment.’

    23. “It was very useful because it points out my mistakes and how to bring it up to a better level… it gave me a chance to achieve more.” I have taken notice [of previous feedback], but not I don’t think I took as much notice as I would have liked to. This assignment made me put it into practice which feels good because I am more satisfied with the outcome of the final report.

    24. “The feedback helped me do more reading and finding lots of research… I made sure I read through my work before resubmitting it… most importantly I have learned from this assignment and I will make sure that I will use any feedback given to me. Thank you.” “Prior to this I would never really looked at the feedback if I didn’t need it I didn’t look.”

    25. Lessons from being an external examiner Personalised feedback Consistency of evaluative global comments in relation to the marks awarded Order of comments – Big issues should dominate Feedback suited to student ability

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