1. Rethinking feedback: what's it for, and how can it make a difference?
University of Nottingham, 22 September 2011
Rethinking feedback: what's it for, and how can it make a difference?
DAI HOUNSELL
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

2. 2

4. The
Trouble
with Feedback

7. Feedback Fundamentals

8. FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK What forms does feedback take?
pro forma written comments exemplars
exams guidance feedforward traditional
collaboration on-display learning peer audio
past questions screencast whole-class
clickers in-class assignments cumulative editing
anticipatory feedback elective self co-revision
e-feedback redrafting reviewing progress
criteria dialogue supervision interaction
briefing student involvement faster feedback
model answers training video online

9. FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK Why Does Feedback Speak in So Many Voices?
what's effective or feasible feedback can vary
in relation to
the level of study / stage of students' progression in the subject at university level
the task or activity they are engaged in
the wider course setting / teaching-learning environment (and its feedback 'affordances' and constraints)
the purpose(s) of the feedback
'signature' feedback practices (c.f. Shulman)
an expanding palette of possibilities

10. feedback doesn't just come from comments by lecturers/tutors
FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK So what is 'feedback', exactly and why does it matter?
Feedback comprises information, processes, activities or experiences which aim to encapsulate, enable or boost students' learning
i.e.
feedback doesn't just come from comments by lecturers/tutors
[good] feedback is performance-enhancing

11. FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK So what is 'feedback', exactly
FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK So what is 'feedback', exactly and why does it matter?
Feedback comprises information, processes, activities or experiences which aim to encapsulate, enable or boost students' learning
Feedback can focus on:
attainment what a student knows, understands or can do at a given point in time
progress where a student currently stands in relation to a specified goal, target or level
achievement what a student has achieved as demonstrated in a completed assignment or task

12. FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK What is 'feedback' and why does it matter?
Why feedback matters
learning without feedback is 'blind archery'
feedback is indispensable to effective teaching and assessment, optimising the conditions under which each student can achieve their best

13. FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK Who gives feedback, where and when ?
Sources of feedback
Lecturers, tutors, demonstrators, supervisors, mentors
Fellow-students / peers, a student’s own reflections
The audience for a seminar or poster presentation, professional practitioners
Feedback where and when?
formally
informally
in timetabled classes / online
outwith timetabled classes / offline
intrinsic
extrinsic
prior to a task or activity
during a task or activity
after a task or activity

14. FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK FEEDBACK'S MANY PURPOSES

15. Feedback That Makes More of a Difference

16. Feedback that makes more of a difference
Better opportunities to use feedback
Enhancing students' grasp of feedback and standards
Boosting the availability and richness of feedback

17. Why is feedback often uncollected ?
FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Better opportunities to use feedback
Why is feedback often uncollected ?
Why might some feedback always come too late ?

18. FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Better opportunities to use feedback
Why is there such a big difference between how we give feedback to our undergraduate and our doctoral students ?

19. FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Better opportunities to use feedback
Why is there such a big difference between how we give feedback to our undergraduate and our doctoral students ?

20. From feedback to feedforward
FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Better opportunities to use feedback
From feedback to feedforward
– 'feedback-first' and draft/revise/resubmit assignments
cumulative assignments
– wikis
(Beaumont et al 2008)

22. Generic and whole-class feedback On-display learning
FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Boosting the availability & richness of feedback
Generic and whole-class feedback
On-display learning
Collaborative tasks & activities

23. OBSERVATION AS A PROXY FOR FEEDBACK

25. FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Enhancing students' grasp of feedback & standards
"The many diverse expressions of dissatisfaction with written feedback can be interpreted as symptoms of impoverished and fractured dialogue. Mass higher education is squeezing out dialogue with the result that written feedback, which is essentially a monologue, is now having to carry much of the burden of teacher- student interaction."
(Nicol, 2010)

26. ESSAY WRITING AND FEEDBACK (1987)
"Tutors fail to acknowledge 'the subtle interplay between what is said and what is taken for granted' (Rommetveit, 1979, p. 96) and so do not seek to close the gap between their own and their students' understanding of expectations."
(Hounsell, 1987, p. 114)

27. Peer and self-generated feedback
FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE Enhancing students' grasp of feedback & standards
Elective feedback
Exemplars
Peer and self-generated feedback

28. FEEDBACK, CONNOISSEURSHIP & DIALOGUE
"[Students] need to learn to discover what quality looks and feels like, and the aspects – whether large or small – that detract from it. They need to develop a vocabulary for expressing and communicating what they find. Furthermore, they should gradually attune their growing realisations and discourse to the norms of the discipline, field or profession"
(Sadler, 2010)
The process of engagement needs staff and students to share and develop a greater understanding of the complexity of feedback processes, and of what can be expected from all parties in this process."
(Price, Handley & Millar, in press)

29. Feedback that makes more of a difference
Better opportunities to use feedback
Enhancing students' grasp of feedback and standards
Boosting the availability and richness of feedback