Enhancing support for staff to engage with effective practice in student feedback

Sue Assinder, Serene Dalati & Saskia PagellaAcademic Development Unit

Bangor University

Academic Development

Unit

Enabling mechanisms for staff engagement

Student expectations and priorities for enhancement

Staff practices and opportunities for

enhancement

• Survey of undergraduate students

• Survey of teaching staff

• Sharing of effective practice

Student Staff

Encouraging about what done well 60

Balance between criticism and advice 60

Easy to understand 57

Explains how to improve 53

Opportunity to discuss 50

Clarifies mark awarded 50

Criteria clear in advance 46

Given within 4 weeks 25

General perceptions about feedback (% positive responses)

Student Staff

Encouraging about what done well 60 99

Balance between criticism and advice 60 89

Easy to understand 57 90

Explains how to improve 53 94

Opportunity to discuss 50 81

Clarifies mark awarded 50 84

Criteria clear in advance 46 78

Given within 4 weeks 25 79

General perceptions about feedback (% positive responses)

Would be more helpful to say how to improve as

opposed to just a "good try"I don’t feel students need me

to say how they could improve- my comments give them enough of a clue. They

are university students!When you say 'good', I need to know which bits are good, and also HOW to improve the

bits that are notI mention positive aspects even when the work is bad but this is often mistaken by students who start demanding higher marks

I would happily give more detailed

feedback - the sad reality is that my

workload does not permit this

Course-work

Exam

Mark 96

Written comments 91

Discussion with lecturer 25

Checklist / feedback sheet 32

Oral feedback to class 23

Written feedback to class 10

Feedback from other students 4

Types of feedback on essays (%)

Course-work

Exam

Mark 96 95

Written comments 91 20

Discussion with lecturer 25 11

Checklist / feedback sheet 32 7

Oral feedback to class 23 11

Written feedback to class 10 2

Feedback from other students 4 N/A

Types of feedback on essays (%)

I have always been under the impression that students' exam performance is not discussed with them (but I can see this isn't helpful!)It is left to our

imagination to guess where we gained and

lost marksWe can get

feedback on our exams? I didn’t

know that! It is not School policy to provide anything

other than a mark. Any change to this would

be unacceptably stressful

I'm sure that lecturers are available to speak to if you go to them - they just don't always

do it automatically

I don't see exam answers as being for

the purpose of student feedback

Student Staff

Content (relevance, coverage) 71

Bibliography / referencing 52

Presentation and style 49

Quality of writing (grammar, spelling) 48

Organisation of information 48

Factual accuracy 47

How explicit marking criteria are met 29

How module learning outcomes met 19

Feedback on coursework essays (% responses always / often)

Student Staff

Content (relevance, coverage) 71 98

Bibliography / referencing 52 95

Presentation and style 49 93

Quality of writing (grammar, spelling) 48 80

Organisation of information 48 97

Factual accuracy 47 93

How explicit marking criteria are met 29 57

How module learning outcomes met 19 23

Feedback on coursework essays (% responses always / often)

Satisfaction with feedback given / received(% positive responses)

0 20 40 60 80 100

CourseworkEssays

Exam Essays

OralPresentations

Student Staff

What do staff want?