RETHINKING FEEDBACK: WHAT'S IT FOR, AND HOW CAN IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Dai Hounsell, University of...

RETHINKING FEEDBACK: WHAT'S IT FOR, AND HOW CAN IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Dai Hounsell, University of Nottingham, 22 September 2011

Rethinking feedback: what's it for, and how can it make a difference?

DAI HOUNSELL

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

University of Nottingham, 22 September 2011

www.tla.ed.ac.uk/feedback.htm



The Trouble

with Feedback



Feedback Fundamental

s



FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDBACK

What forms does feedback take?

pro forma written comments exemplarsexams guidance feedforward traditionalcollaboration on-display learning peer audiopast questions screencast whole-classclickers in-class assignments cumulative editing anticipatory feedback elective self co-revisione-feedback redrafting reviewing progresscriteria dialogue supervision interaction

briefing student involvement faster feedbackmodel answers training video online




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




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




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




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




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




FEEDBACK'S MANY PURPOSES



Feedback That Makes More of a Difference



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



FEEDBACK THAT MAKES MORE OF A DIFFERENCE


Why is feedback often uncollected ?

Why might some feedback always come too late ?





Why is there such a big difference between how we give feedback to our undergraduate and our doctoral students ?





From feedback to feedforward

– 'feedback-first' and draft/revise/resubmit assignments

– cumulative assignments

– wikis

(Beaumont et al 2008)




Boosting the availability & richness of feedback

• Generic and whole-class feedback

• On-display learning

• Collaborative tasks & activities



OBSERVATION AS A PROXY FOR FEEDBACK




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)



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)




Enhancing students' grasp of feedback & standards

• Elective feedback

• Exemplars

• Peer and self-generated feedback



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)



Feedback that makes more of a difference


Enhancing students' grasp of feedback and standards

Boosting the availability and richness of feedback

RETHINKING FEEDBACK: WHAT'S IT FOR, AND HOW CAN IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Dai Hounsell, University of...

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