You Make Some Good Comments Here BUT

1
You Make Some Good Comments Here BUT

• Students use of Feedback on Assessed Work

2
Aim

• To assess the degree to which students use
  assessment feedback

3
Outcomes

• To understand the extent to which students feel
  they need feedback on assignments
• To evaluate how much students feel they gain from
  the comments they receive on assignments
• To discuss the extent to which they use feedback
• To synthesise improved methods of feedback
• To evaluate ways in which students can be
  encouraged to use feedback to their advantage

4
Institutions should ensure that appropriate
feedback is provided to students on assessed work
in a way that promotes learning and facilitates
improvement (QAA)
5
Methodology

• Intranet Questionnaire
• Focus groups

6
Using the Criteria

• I always read the assessment criteria before
  starting an assessment
• I feel that I could improve my work if I
  followed the assessment criteria fully
• I usually understand the assessment criteria

• Nearly all students said they read the assessment
  criteria
• 60 said they would get better marks if they
  followed the criteria closely
• About 25 said they could not understand the
  criteria

7
Using the criteria

• I can see a link between the assessment criteria
  and comments on my work
• I am not sure how the assignment grade is
  calculated

• Nearly 10 said they could not see a link between
  comments and the criteria
• Nearly 50 said they did not know how their marks
  were calculated

8
Using the comments

• 11 of students said they did not collect work
• 3 said they did not read their mark
• About 10 said they did not read the comments in
  full
• 16 said they did not read the comments unless
  they were disappointed

• I always collect my marked assignments
• I always read the overall mark on assessed work
• I read any comments made in full
• I only read the comments if I am disappointed
  with my work

9
Using the comments

• I do not always find the written comments
  relevant to the assignment
• I am usually pleased with the mark I get
• I cannot always read the comments made
• There are too many comments on my work

• Around a quarter said they found the comments
  irrelevant
• Over a quarter said they are not usually pleased
• 83 of students said they could not read the
  comments
• Most students said they would like more comments

10
Using Available Help

• Often I get similar comments on my assessments
• I use assignment feedback to help with other
  assignments
• Nobody has ever explained how I can use feedback
  on assignments
• I know I can see a lecturer for more feedback on
  my work

• 80 agreed with this
• Slightly fewer agreed with this
• Half the respondents claimed they had never been
  told
• Most students agreed with this

11
Using available help

• In the past I have seen a lecturer for more
  feedback
• It is useful to have spelling and grammar
  mistakes pointed out

• About 35 had seen lecturers for more feedback
• 67 said they would see a lecturer if they
  thought the mark unfair
• Nearly all agreed

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Summary of some of the issues

• Students do not always perceive feedback as
  useful
• Students do not really understand how to use
  assessment criteria or feedback
• Students would like more comments
• Students need clear handwriting of comments (or
  we need to type them)
• Students have little appreciation of the tacit
  element of marking work
• Students do not appreciate the extent to which
  lecturers can help them

13
Tentative findings from one focus group
Students feel very strongly about finding the
lecturers comments very difficult to read
Students find the assessment criteria too general
or too vague to be useful
Students do not like lecturers circling words or
adding ?s with no explanation
Students did not know that they could see their
exam papers after the assessment period
Students usually do not know why they got the
mark they did