Comprobación de estado (Comando: s v)

In order to understand how students make sense of feedback that is provided for them and appreciate how they use the feedback there is a need to examine why students want feedback at all. There are number of reasons why students want feedback – in summary these are: as an indication of how well they have performed on summative assessments; as part of the learning process; as an indicator of how they are doing; or as a contractual expectation. This section indicates the reasons that students want feedback and also indicates why it becomes a problem when students don’t get the feedback they expect when they expect it.

As part of the indication on how well they are doing students want some indication of the quality of their work and how this is valued (Higgins and Hartley 2002). It is often the case that students do this by using the numeric mark or grade that tutors provide on student work as an indicator about their performance in an assessment task, a view supported by a number of commentators including Ding (1998), Adams Thomas and King (2000) and Duncan (2007).

Hall and Burke (2003:10) suggest that if students “know what to do to improve they can “close the gap” between what they can do or know and what they need to do or know”. Hall and Burke go on to argue that “it is better to focus on causes of success and failure than to praise performance on the basis of the final product or completed task”. Providing feedback which allows students to “close the gap” is part of what Yorke (2003) alludes to in his discussion of feedback changing student behaviour.

A great deal of recent literature on feedback focuses on the “assessment for learning” argument, where students use the assessment activities as part of the process of learning about the subjects they are being assessed on (Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall and Wiliam 2003, McDowell, Sambell, Bazin, Penlington, Wakelin, Wicks and Smailes e 2005). Wiliam (2008) suggests that learners do not learn what they are taught and that there is a need for assessment to act as the bridge between teaching and learning, and thus the central process of teaching. The focus of the assessment for learning argument is that formative feedback will enhance learning and will encourage students to engage with the feedback and make use of the feedback to enhance their learning.

Part of the “assessment for learning” argument is that feedback is provided to students through feedback on formative activities or through comments on drafts for summative work as preparation for summative assessment. Using feedback as learning for future assessment, (feedforward according to Torrance 1993, Cowan 2003, Race 2005, Knight 2006, Hounsell 2006, Duncan 2007) raises the question of timeliness of receiving feedback. This opens a new discussion on the structure of courses

and modules and whether there is the opportunity to use the first assessment in a module as part of the learning for the second (assuming there is more than one assessment). The concept of

feedforward (Cowan, 2003) identifies the intention that comments on assessment (feedback) should be used to inform students when it comes to the next assessment. However, feedforward, and consequently the use of feedback for learning is potentially problematic when there is only one summative assessment in a module. There are also potential questions about the way students use feed forward between different modules in a programme of study (Gibbs, 2005). The issues

associated with feedforward are discussed in chapter 3.

Students use feedback to measure against the standard of academic work expected from them, both in terms of summative performance and in terms of academic conduct in areas such as plagiarism. It is often unclear to students what levels of depth and breadth they are expected to perform to. Even when students are given assessment criteria, either generic or specific to assessment activities, they have difficulty in interpreting what those standards mean. Rust, Prince and O’Donovan (2003) argue that students have problems in knowing what is meant by assessment criteria and appreciating the detail of the assessment process. They go on to suggest that student learning can be improved significantly by helping students develop skills in understanding assessment criteria. This subject is explored in the discussion of the scenario of providing feedback on mock exam questions and then discussing with students their interpretation of the formative feedback provided.

The current environment in Higher Education has been discussed in section 2.2 and one of the aspects of the Higher Education environment is that students believe that feedback on assessed work is part of their rights as a student, irrespective of the learning benefits associated with the provision of feedback. Students feel that it is only fair that they are provided with feedback after they have put in the effort to complete the assessment, students expect feedback as they “believe they deserve it” due to the effort made in carrying out the assignment task, (Higgins, Hartley and Skelton, 2001).

The arguments so far have centred on the quality of feedback provided to students, but comments from students about the feedback they expect (discussed in chapter 5) indicates that quantity of feedback needs to be taken into account. Lunsford (1997) advocates that there should be a maximum of three well thought out comments per essay or report. Lunsford also argues that feedback should relate to students how the reader “experienced the essayP.. rather than offer judgemental

comments”. The intention is that such comments help the student to engage in reflecting on the feedback and trying to understand, as Lunsford puts it “the difference between his or her intentions and the effects”.

There is also a consumerist expectation on the students’ rights in terms of the provision of feedback. Higgins et al (2001) suggest that students view feedback as part of the service they have paid for. Gibbs (2005) takes the consumerist awareness angle even further and suggests that it manifests itself in an increasing amount of student complaint, appeal and even litigation. On the other hand a positive aspect to come out of the concerns of contractual right in being given feedback is identified by Higgins et al (2001) who suggest that the emerging consumerist awareness of students leads them to

understand the importance of feedback in their educational development.

Irrespective of why students want feedback or what students do with the feedback when they get it, indications from students (for example through the National Student Survey) suggest that lack of feedback, timeliness of feedback and quality of feedback are perceived by students as major issues.