Encouraging More Personalised Feedback

1
Encouraging More Personalised Feedback

• Dr. Karen Hulme
• Department of Law

2
The Power of Feedback

• Giving effective feedback is the most powerfully
  positive thing we can do to foster and maintain
  student learning
• (Phil Race)
• Universities are scoring low marks in NSS

3
Objectives of the Pilot Study

• Bridging the gap created by anonymous marking
  between the marker and the student
• Encouraging student reflection

4
The Method

• Set an assignment.
• Devise 5 questions to engage students in
  reflection about the assignment.
• Student submits assignment and completed
  reflective questionnaire, which is appended to
  the assignment.
• Marker has both when marking.

5
Engaging the Students

• Penalty or incentive?
• 5 marks deducted or gained?
• What about a small prize for most reflective
  learner?
• Or extra marks incentive for reflective learners?

6
The Questions We Trialled

• What did you find most difficult about the essay?
• What research did you carry out?
• If you had had a greater word limit, what, if
  anything, would you have expanded upon?
• How did you set about completing the essay?
• How could the essay question have been made
  easier?

7
Thoughts

• Appropriate for any kind of assignment and for
  any level of course.
• Teach students how to reflect and why
• Aim for deep reflection in questions
• PDP ask students to reflect on what they
  learned from the assignment
• Skills
• understanding

8
Questions

• What questions might you design?

9
More Questions 1

• If you had half the word limit, what would you
  leave out now, and why?
• Rank the following source materials in order of
  value to you (1 best, 7 worst)
• How up-to-date do you feel the sources you chose
  are?
• How successful do you think youve been at
  interpreting other material? sourcing?
• For each learning outcomes, list below your level
  of confidence that youve now achieved it
• Which one part of the recommended reading was
  most helpful and why?
• Which of the things you found for yourself was
  most helpful and why?

10
And More Questions 2

• What was the most important thing have you
  learned from this assessment?
• Name one way you would adjust this assignment to
  improve it.
• What particular element of preparation would most
  have helped you to improve your work on this
  assignment?
• Was the timing of this assignment just right -
  too early too late other.
• Where do you feel you have you made the best use
  of cross-referencing in this evidence?
• What were you afraid of including?
• What was the most significant thing you learned
  when doing this assignment?

11
And More Questions 3

• What part of the assignment would you like more
  practice in?
• What do you think I am trying to test your
  understanding of?
• How did you start?
• What did you like most about this assignment?
• dislike most?
• How would you make a harder version of this
  question? And an easier version?
• What would you like to be introduced into the
  syllabus next time round?
• Which part of the assignment took you longest?
• What did you find the hardest aspect of this
  assignment?

12
And More Questions 4

• What do you think was the thing you did best in
  this assignment?
• List below up to three aspects of your work, that
  you would particularly like to have your tutors
  opinions about.
• Please give details of any additional help or
  support which you would have liked, to help you
  approach this assignment more effectively.
• Please list up to three (short) questions you
  would like your tutor to answer in connection
  with the subject-matter on which this assignment
  was based.
• How difficult or easy did you find this
  assignment?
• Really tough quite easy too easy
  
• about the right depth some parts tough

13
Reflection

• What were the benefits for students and staff?

14
Benefits Students

• More focussed feedback on issues student has
  highlighted
• More personalised experience student feels part
  of the dialogue not just a number
• Student feels more relaxed and open about her
  writing less fearful of showing work
• Student feels more engaged with feedback when
  returned
• Student may take feedback on board more easily
  because of dialogue

15
Benefits Tutors

• Helps tutor to focus comments
• Relieves tutor boredom in repetition
• Helps to give tutor a starting point for feedback
  
• Helps tutor to understand particular students
  worries personalises the process for the tutor

16
Problems

• How to ensure students complete the
  questionnaire?
• And do so seriously?
• And read the feedback?

17
Post-script

• Post-feedback questionnaire
• Summarise the tutor feedback from your Assignment
• What do you understand by the feedback?
• How might you improve your work/ approach for the
  next assignment in light of the feedback?