Jason Bohan, Maxine Swingler, Heather Woods

School of Psychology, University of Glasgow

Matching student expectations and staff practices in producing and engaging with

high quality feedback

Introduction• Feedback promotes student engagement with deeper

learning and positively impacts on future learning (Biggs, 1999)

• Effective feedback aids transition from supported school/college environments to independent learning in HE (Poulous & Mahoney, 2008)

• UK NSS scores reveal low satisfaction for feedback• Staff perception is that they provide good quality

feedback, but student’s fail to utilise this (Careless, 2006)

Q. Given the importance of feedback, why is there a difference between student and staff experiences of the feedback process and can we align the process more tightly?

Method

Data Collection – 3 Phases• Student Survey• Focus groups• Staff Survey

Student Survey• 59 (12%) Level 1 psychology

students responded to a survey posted on our VLE (Moodle). Low response but representative of the class:

• Average age = 21 years• 78% Female• Honours students 79%• New to psychology - 59%• Native language – 63%

Method

Data Collection – 3 Phases• Student Survey• Focus groups• Staff Survey

Student Survey – 6 themes1. What is feedback?2. What is good feedback?3. Expectations of assessments

and experience of feedback4. How do you use feedback?5. How do you want to receive

feedback?6. How does the feedback you

receive differ from before university?

Method

Data Collection – 3 Phases• Student Survey• Focus groups• Staff Survey

Focus Groups• Honours student volunteers

ran one focus group• 4 students participated

Method

Data Collection – 3 Phases• Student Survey• Focus groups• Staff Survey

Staff Survey• 10 staff members all involved

in assessing Level 1 feedback were asked:

1. What they believed was important in coursework

2. What type of comments they provided on coursework

3. What type of additional feedback students requested

4. How they liked to give feedback

1. What is feedback? 10 sources of feedback to be rated:

1. Written comments 2. Talking to teachers3. Exam feedback4. Feedback sheets – written comments5. Feedback sheets – generic comments6. Email from tutors7. Lab quiz (automated)8. VLE (Moodle) comments from staff9. VLE (Moodle) comments from student10. Peer discussion

1. What is feedback? • Written comments on coursework and feedback sheets

rated top- 95% and 93% agreed

• Peer communication rated lowest- 19% rated Moodle

comments from other students as feedback

• 69% of students agreed that staff comments on Moodle

were feedback

1. What is feedback? • Compared what students considered to be

feedback with what they found helpful• 3 significant differences (Mann-Whitney)

between….• Student comments on Moodle (p<0.001)

19% agreed as feedback, 47% rated as helpful• Comments written on coursework (p<0.001)

95% agreed as feedback, 76% rated as helpful• Automated feedback from lab quizzes (p<0.05)

74% agreed as feedback, 61% rated as helpful

1. What is feedback?

• So, differences between what students see as feedback and what they find helpful.

• Peer communication is useful but not viewed as feedback – possibly because less reliable information source?

• Written comments seen as feedback, but many don’t find helpful

• Automated feedback (shown correct answer and given score) 39% do not find helpful

What is Feedback? Digging Deeper…• Student led focus group discussion (Level 1

psychology students).

2. What is good feedback?• Improvements for next piece of coursework • Comments on structure • Comments on argument • Comments on the content• Comments on critical analysis • Comments that provide encouragement • Clearly relates to grade • Acknowledges effort• Further resources• Markers overall impression• Points out errors, e.g. spelling

2. What is good feedback?

• Everything!• Direct comments on coursework and

suggestions on improvement rated as most important- 98%

• Points on errors e.g. spelling 14% rated as unimportant but 70% still rated as important

• Comments on effort and providing encouragement also important

What is Good Feedback?

3. Expectations of assessments and experience of feedback

• Research skills

• Knowledge/comprehension

• Structure

• Critical analysis

• Writing style

3. Expectations of assessments and experience of feedback

• No respondents, staff or student, disagreed

that these factors should be in a essay/report

• Different when asked if the students have

received feedback on these factors or staff

had provided feedback….

3. Expectations of assessments and experience of feedback

• Knowledge and comprehension • 100% of staff provided this feedback• 32% of students report not getting it

• Writing style• 80% of staff commented on this• 46% of students did not receive it

4. How do you use feedback?

4. How do you use feedback?

• 97% of students rated the feedback received as useful

• 36% only look at the grade

• 54% look back at comments with new coursework (15%

unsure)

• 49% are unsure how their feedback and grade are

related

• 53% disagreed that feedback helped in understanding

• 22% agreed that they did not understand the comments

on their work (17% unsure)

How do you use Feedback?

5. How do you want to receive feedback?

• 83% students want comments on coursework but 55% have difficulty using and understanding them

• 73% of students said they would be happy with online feedback only

• Staff are split, 50% staff said they would prefer online only and 50% combination of written comments on scripts and structured feedback

How do you want to receive feedback?

6. How does the feedback you receive differ from before university?

• When I understood the feedback it helped with later work

• I paid close attention to the feedback I received

• I received feedback on drafts

• Feedback was provided fast enough to be useful

• I used feedback from my friends to improve my work

• The feedback for one assignment didn’t help later ones

• The feedback I received didn’t help me much

6. How does the feedback you receive differ from before university?

Significant differences found between pre-university and university experiences of feedback

•90% agreed that understanding feedback helped with later work at school- 66% at uni

•68% agreed that they received drafts at school compared to 15% at uni

•83% agreed that feedback was provided fast enough to be useful compared to 44% at uni

•More uncertainty around paying close attention to feedback at uni compared to school

Differences between school and university

Conclusions & Moving Forward• Broadly large agreement between staff and

students on what constitutes feedback, differences in experiences– Many students say they don’t receive comments on

content (knowledge and comp)– Style of writing

• Match structured staff feedback to student expectations more explicitly

• Marking criteria should clearly define the differing assessment criteria (knowledge, critical, writing style etc) that markers use

Conclusions & Moving Forward

• Students view written comments as important feedback but many do not find useful, e.g. don’t understand the comments and/or how they relate to the overall grade

• Many students don’t view peer-interaction as feedback but report finding it useful

• Help students use feedback more when attempting future assignments, e.g. reflective exercises requiring students to return to prior feedback before attempting current assignments, peer discussions…

Conclusions & Moving Forward• University feedback (compared to school/college) is

viewed as:– Less helpful for future work– Slower (mirrors NSS results)– More anonymous (i.e. less connection with staff)

• Ways of delivering feedback– Students like written comments but are agreeable to

online comments– Staff are split between preferences for written and online

delivery

• Online feedback could improve the speed of delivery. But, can we provide high-quality feedback without written comments on coursework?

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!