We expend most of our academic time giving feedback to
students. But after many years of doing this, I realized that my feedback was
repetitive and I made the same comments again and again most of the times to
the same student.
We assume that students know how to make the best out of the
feedback they get, but actually we do not teach them how to do it. How can we
ensure that students utilize properly feedback?
Some years ago I introduced a new practice in the Psychology
department that may help with this matter: The
Feedback Self-assessment exercise. The idea behind this exercise is to
engage students actively with feedback (and so the name of Action feedback), and make them reflect on the feedback they got
for one coursework so as to use it proactively to improve the next related
coursework. The crucial point is that students are actually assessed on this
skill.
http://b-i.forbesimg.com/
As it is shown in the form below, students are asked to
critically reflect of the positive and negative aspects of the feedback they
got in a previous coursework, and to specify how they used the comments to
improve the current coursework. I used this for the first time in Level 1
students, in a research unit where I taught them how to write a Lab report. I
had two consecutive lab reports, and I asked them to submit this form along
with the second lab report. The Feedback Self-assessment exercise was assessed
along with the actual lab report. This was easily done because of the use of
TurnItIn GradeMark service for feedback, since I knew that all students had available
electronic feedback of their previous lab report.
The exercise works very well, and I was so glad I did not
have to repeat again many of my previous comments! Colleagues in the department
have adopted this practice, and do it across units as well. You just need to
have two somehow related courseworks (so that students can easily transfer
feedback), and make sure there is a good timing between assignments.
Ana Vivas
HoD Psychology
Very interesting idea. Usually students focus on the mark and not the feedback. This approach engages actively the student. You need "two to tango". Detailed and useful feedback and a student willing to act on it to improve. Gracias
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea! Thank you Ana.
ReplyDelete