Keynote sustainable feedback

Sustainable feedback & the development of feedback

literacies

David Carless,

University of Hong Kong,

21 June 2017 at University of Kent

The University of Hong Kong

Overview

1. Feedback challenges

2. Sustainable feedback

3. Feedback literacies

4. Issues & Implications


Aim

To explore possibilities for a more dialogic & sustainable approach to feedback processes


SELECTED FEEDBACK CHALLENGES


Feedback challenges

Too much feedback as telling

Difficulties in decoding feedback

Lack of engagement with feedback

Lack of strategies for using feedback

The way feedback is organised


Feedback often seems like …

… a perversely belated revelation of things that should have been made clear earlier (Crook, Gross & Dymott, 2006)


Closing feedback loops

It’s only feedback if students take some action


SUSTAINABLE FEEDBACK


Enhanced student role

Students generating & using feedback (Carless et al., 2011)


Interview study

Sample:10 award-winning teachers from 10 different Faculties

Key finding: Conventional & sustainable feedback orientations (Carless et al. 2011)


Exploring assessment study The University of Hong Kong


Old paradigm New paradigm

Feedback as monologic information transfer

Feedback as dialogic interaction

Conventional feedback

Sustainable feedback

Sustainable feedback defined

Dialogic activities in which students generate and use feedback from peers, self or others as part of self-regulation

(Carless, 2013)


Sustainable feedback principles

• Prompting learner action

• Peers as active source of feedback

• Inner dialogue/internal feedback


UKC Policy documents

Assessment & feedback design for lifelong learning & development of independent learners Enabling students to develop through feedback dialogues


BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE FEEDBACK


Conservatism in assessment

Generally low levels of staff assessment literacy (Norton et al., 2013)


Limited incentives

Pressure of multiple demands: sophisticated feedback design not rewarded


Failing to connect

Difficulties for lower achievers to make sense of feedback (Orsmond & Merry, 2013)


Growth mindset?

Students respond to feedback processes based on their own motivations


Handling critique

Self-management skills;

emotional maturity

(Pitt & Norton, 2016)


DEVELOPING STUDENT FEEDBACK LITERACIES


Enabling activities

1. Peer feedback

2. Analyzing exemplars

3. Honing self-evaluative capacities


Teacher guidance

Teacher scaffolding

Peer feedback

Learners gain more from composing than receiving peer feedback (Nicol et al., 2014)


Peer feedback essentials

• Sell rationale & benefits to students

• Provide training, modeling & support

• Communicate gains for ‘giver’


Analyzing exemplars

Dialogue to develop student appreciation of the nature of quality (Carless & Chan, 2016)



Self-evaluation

Enhancing student ability to self-monitor their work in progress


Variety in assessment

Different assessment tasks as barrier to development of self-evaluative capacities (Boud et al., 2015)


Teacher facilitating role

Selling; Modelling; Guiding; Scaffolding


TECHNOLOGY

ENABLED FEEDBACK


Audio & Video feedback

Rapport

Nuance

Personalisation

Monologue or Dialogue?

Time saver?


Peer video feedback

Peer-to-peer video feedback

delivered via Facebook

Hung (2016)


Use of Facebook

History students uploaded drafts & received peer feedback (Carless, 2015)


Scaling up

Need for more critical perspectives on technology-enabled feedback strategies (Dawson & Henderson, 2017)


Final thoughts


Feedback designs

Feedback as integral part of curriculum & course design (Boud & Molloy, 2013)


Good feedback designs

Program-wide coherent assessment & feedback designs;

Timely dialogues: in-class, online & peer feedback;

Development of sustainable feedback


Student feedback literacy

- Skills / capacities

- Developmental aspects

- Attitudinal dimensions


<……...>

Staff development

Dialogue & communication

Communities of practice

Leadership


THANK YOU


References

Boud, D., Lawson, R. & Thompson, D. (2015). The calibration of student judgement through self-assessment: disruptive effects of assessment patterns. Higher Education Research and Development, 34(1), 45-59.

Boud, D. & Molloy, E. (2013). Rethinking models of feedback for learning: The challenge of design. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 698-712.

Carless, D. (2006). Differing perceptions in the feedback process. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 219-233.

Carless, D. (2013). Sustainable feedback and the development of student self-evaluative capacities. In Merry, S., Price, M., Carless, D. & Taras, M. (Eds.). Reconceptualising feedback in higher education: developing dialogue with students. London: Routledge.

Carless, D. (2015). Excellence in University Assessment: Learning from award-winning practice. London: Routledge.

Carless, D. & K.K.H. Chan (2016). Managing dialogic use of exemplars. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1211246

Carless, D., Salter, D., Yang, M. & Lam, J. (2011). Developing sustainable feedback practices. Studies in Higher Education, 36(4), 395-407.


http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1211246

References (continued)

Crook, C., Gross, H. & Dymott, R. (2006). Assessment relationships in higher education: The tension of process and practice. British Educational Research Journal, 32(1), 95-114.

Dawson, P. & Henderson, M. (2017). How does Technology Enable Scaling up Assessment for Learning? In D. Carless, S. Bridges, C.K.W. Chan & R. Glofcheski (Eds.), Scaling up Assessment for learning in Higher Education. Singapore: Springer.

Hung, S.-T. A. (2016). Enhancing feedback provision through multimodal video technology. Computers & Education, 98, 90-101.

Nicol, D., Thomson, A. & Breslin, C. (2014). Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: A peer review perspective. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 39(1), 102-122.

Norton, L., Norton, B. & Shannon, L. (2013). Revitalising assessment design: What is holding new lecturers back? Higher Education, 66(2), 233-251.

Orsmond, P. & Merry, S. (2013). The importance of self-assessment in students’ use of tutors’ feedback: A qualitative study of high and non-high achieving biology undergraduates. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 737-753.

Pitt, E. & Norton, L. (2016). ‘Now that’s the feedback I want!’ Students’ reactions to feedback on graded work and what they do with it. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(4), 499-516.


Shifts in priorities


Increase Decrease

In-class dialogic feedback within module time

Unidirectional comments after completion of module

Written feedback comments on first assessment task of module

Written feedback comments on final task of module

Feedback for first year students

Feedback for final year students

Defining feedback

“A dialogic process in which learners make sense of information from varied sources and use it to enhance the quality of their work or learning strategies”.

Carless (2015, p.192) building on Boud & Molloy (2013)



Productive assessment task design

Appreciating the nature of quality work

Student engagement with feedback

Learning-oriented assessment framework