2022: Student Centred Feedback Practices

A joint session with Assessment in Higher Education Network (UK) and Transforming Assessment.

Session chair: Fabio Arico (University of East Anglia, UK)

Featuring two speakers:

1) Flipped Feedback: A Student-Centred Feedback Approach (Nigel Francis, University of Cardiff, UK).

Student engagement with their feedback is often limited, with some students only looking at their marks and not accessing the feedback comments at all. Part of the reason for this is that students often cannot see where the feedback can be applied to future work (having somewhere for feedback to land). Often feedback is provided after work on a module has finished and with no further work to complete, students may lack the feedback literacy to use their feedback in other modules or see the link to other pieces of work, even if they are not the same format. 

In this pilot study, we flipped the feedback for two pieces of coursework in a module and asked students to submit a draft report prior to releasing generic feedback and a self-evaluation for the students to complete based on common errors from previous years. As part of this reflection, the students needed to rate themselves against the mark scheme, and identify things they were already doing well, things they could improve on and things they need to start doing. Additionally, students were asked to identify one or two areas that they would like specific feedback on in their final report. They were then allowed to submit a final version of their report. Both versions of the report were marked using an online rubric with only very brief, generic feedback statements. Students were surveyed to determine their satisfaction with this approach, with an overwhelmingly positive response, as well as an average increase of between 6 and 9% in scores from draft to final versions.

Overall, the average mark for the coursework in this module rose by 7% from 55% to 62% compared to the previous year’s cohort who did not use the flipped feedback approach. Despite marking the draft and final submission, actual staff marking time decreased as fewer comments needed to be made on submissions as students had self-identified their shortcomings. Overall, this approach has shown a positive improvement in student engagement with their feedback and enhanced learning opportunities.

2) Assessment vs VLE: Impact on Student Centred Approach to Feedback (Fiona Meddings, University of York, UK).

As the use of online marking is becoming more commonplace it enables, in an era of sustainability, a reduction in paper usage with potential increased efficiency in assessment processes. Student feedback is facilitated via the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with academics utilising the technology to construct and deliver their evaluation on formative or summative assessment elements submitted electronically. The potential for feedback to support students’ development is an integral intention (Hepplestone et al. 2011; Small and Attree 2015) although how and if this is achieved remains unclear (Price et al. 2010; Zimbardi et al. 2017). It has also been recognised that there is the potential for VLE’s to deliver automated feedback on free text question responses from students however limitations remain (Whitelock and Watt 2008). The pedagogy of automated feedback was explored by these authors, but it appears that systems cannot yet provide the depth and breadth of feedback that can be crafted by academics. Research has also been undertaken on using the VLE to provide different modes of feedback either written, audio or video (Dowden et al. 2013; Morris and Chikwa 2016), with results exploring the acceptability for both staff and students. An element currently not reported on in the literature is a discussion on the systems themselves and a pedagogic exploration of their impact. This presentation will be delivered through a case study of one Higher Education Faculty and their attempts to incorporate existing rubrics for assessment into a VLE rubric tool, charting the impact on student feedback. A potential case of not speaking the same language.

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Sessions are hosted by Professor Geoffrey Crisp, DVC Academic, University of Canberra and Dr Mathew Hillier, Macquarie University, Australia.

Please note all sessions are recorded and made public after the event.