Guidelines on feedback
The SEG Education committee asked the ITL to develop a set of guidelines for quality feedback as part of the University's response to issues identified by students in the SCEQ. In recognition that many faculties have excellent feedback resources for staff and students the following guidelines aim to provide a prompt for reflection on current assessment and feedback practices and access to faculty and university wide resources to support staff and students.
The University's Assessment Principles also note the importance of feedback: "Constructive, timely and respectful feedback develops student skills of self and peer evaluation and guides the development of future student work".
So what makes for effective and efficient feedback?
Feedback which is manageable for staff and which effectively supports student learning starts with good assessment design. The following features of assessment tasks and feedback have been identified as being important if assessment is to support student learning. Associate Deans Learning and Teaching in each Faculty have been consulted about Faculty resources for each important feature, and please contact your Associate Dean or the ITL to suggest a useful resource.
| Important features of assessment and feedback* | Practical suggestions on how staff might achieve this | What students can do to improve the feedback they receive |
|---|---|---|
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1. The assessment task captures sufficient study time and effort Prompts: Is the task sufficiently challenging to require a reasonable level of engagement by the student? Does the task allow students enough time on it to achieve quality engagement? (Of course, whether students actually do spend enough time and effort is largely up to them.) |
Guidelines on assessment word limits |
Planning your study time
See the Learning Centre's resource on being a more effective learner See the Faculty of Education and Social Work group work guide for students |
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2. The task engages students in productive learning activity Prompts: Does the task focus on the sort of learning you want students to achieve? Does the task direct student effort evenly across different learning outcomes, and according to the most important aspects of the unit? How does the task encourage students toward productive, rather than unproductive learning activity? Does the task encourage students to adopt a deep approach to learning? Does the task (or set of tasks) build complexity of understanding? Are there opportunities for students to develop their own evaluation skills? |
Designing authentic assessment tasks See the Faculty of Education and Social Work advantages and disadvantages See the School of Busines information on self and peer assessment |
Negotiating your assessment topic |
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3. The assessment communicates clear and high expectations to students and other markers Prompts: Does the task link to a set of grade descriptors that specify different levels of achievement? How clearly do students understand these grade descriptors? What opportunities are there for students to communicate to you their understanding of the standards? How do you achieve consistent standards with multiple markers? |
Feed-forward strategies
See a Synergy article on how to help students understand standards See the School of Business tips on marking See the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences examples of marking proformas See the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences guidelines on using the WriteSite marking key |
Understanding grade descriptors |
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4. Sufficient, timely feedback is provided Prompts: Is feedback provided often enough and in enough detail? Does the design of the task enable the provision of feedback at key points during students’ engagement with it? Do the students receive the feedback while it still matters and it can be used to enhance future learning? Does the feedback help students know how to improve for later assessments? What combination of strategies do you use to provide feedback? |
Capitalising on formative feedback opportunities See the University of New England 20 tips on making feedback work |
Recognising feedback |
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5. The feedback focuses on the learning demonstrated in the work rather than on marks or students themselves Prompts: Does the feedback explicitly refer to the assessment criteria and standards set for the task? How does your feedback help students understand their ‘mark’? Does the feedback focus on the work itself, rather than on the person or the assessor’s personal reaction to the work? |
Using grade descriptors to save time and keep focus See the Department of English examples of grade descriptors Assessment rubrics |
Understanding assessment criteria |
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6. The feedback is appropriate for the use you hope your students will make of it Prompts: What is your feedback designed to do? How do you intend students to use it? Do they know how you expect them to use it? For example, is it about: correcting errors; developing students’ understanding of a particular concept/idea; providing new openings for investigation; suggesting ways of improving students’ use of evidence; identifying areas of strength to be improved; or encouraging students to keep going? |
Guidelines on writing feedback
See the Faculty of Education and Social Work guidelines See the Faculty of Education and Social Work examples of group presentation feedback |
Making (better) sense of feedback |
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7. Feedback is received and attended to by students Prompts: Is the feedback understandable to students, given their level of understanding of the topic? Does the feedback demonstrate a respect for the student that encourages her/him to consider it? Does the feedback focus on the things the students perceive they need feedback on? Is the feedback part of an ongoing ‘conversation’ with students about their learning? Is the feedback acted upon by students to improve their work or their learning? |
What students say about feedback
Watch a Macquarie University video clip on what students say |
Asking for the feedback you really need |
*Adapted from: Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students' learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Issue 1, 3-31.