Feedback for Formative and Summative Assessment

Objectives To understand the importance of formative assessment feedback To understand the importance of summative assessment feedback To write effective summative assessment feedback Welcome to this programme on feedback to students for formative and summative assessment. The aim of feedback is to improve student performance, not just measure it, we must ensure that students know the performances expected of them, the standards against which they will be judged, and have opportunities to learn from the assessment in future assessments

Formative and Summative Assessment Students need formative assessment but are motivated by summative assessment Students need practice (formative assessment) Students need feedback on formative assessment (assessment for learning) to perform in summative assessment We all know that students are interested in summative assessment. Summative assessment is the final assessment – the SQA CASP may be used or an assessment instrument that your Centre has designed. This is the assessment that will be marked by assessors and the result contributes to the student’s HND qualification. However, if students are expecting to pass the summative assessment, it is our responsibility to provide them with practice – formative assessment – so that they can perform well in the summative assessment. Feedback to students on formative assessment is essential in order that they improve their performance in the summative assessment. This is called assessment for learning.

Why Student Feedback Matters? When does formative feedback occur Feedback can occur at any point in the learning cycle: while students are working on a task while students are presenting a task at the end of the task It is important to remember that feedback can occur at any point in the learning cycle and is probably happening holistically and generically during your class time. It can happen while students are working on a task – you can observe and contribute. Students may also ask questions which can demonstrate a need for further explanation by you. Feedback can happen while students are presenting a task – you can ask questions to test knowledge and understanding. Feedback can happen at the end of the task – you can give overall feedback on the students’ performance.

Methods of Feedback for Formative Assessment Tutor led Questioning Peer marking Peer evaluation Homework and research tasks Classroom Activities Practice assessments There are many methods of providing students with feedback. You are probably already using some of these methods but if you have not used some of these, it may be appropriate to try them. Tutor led – where you summarise the feedback for the individual student or for a group Questioning – where you test the students’ knowledge and understanding Peer marking – where the students mark each others formative assessment Peer evaluation – where the students provide an evaluation of each others performance Homework and research tasks – setting homework and research tasks allows you to gauge the knowledge and understanding Classroom Activities – setting up classroom activities allows you to test knowledge and understanding Practice assessments – practice assessments allow the students to experience an environment similar to the summative assessment

Hints and Tips on Giving Feedback on Summative Assessment Do: Create a feedback checklist for each evidence requirement Be positive: tell the student what they have done well Provide written statements giving feedback Provide deadline for re-do Provide feedback for all students Feedback for summative assessment is vitally important to students. Students need to know what they still need to do but also what they have done well. When you are providing summative feedback, there are some things you can do which help the process: A feedback checklist lets the student know what specific areas require further attention It is just as important that students know what they have done well as well as what can be improved. What they have done well can be carried into further summative assessment. It is important that you give written feedback. Students will forget verbal feedback and it is important that they have written feedback they can refer to at a future date Providing a deadline for redo is important to keep students motivated and progressing through their qualification Do not just provide feedback for those students who have a redo or have failed – provide feedback for those who have passed an assessment acknowledging what was done well and what could be improved

Hints and Tips on Giving Feedback on Summative Assessment Don’t: When writing feedback statements, tell the student what to do Some IT, accounting and financial services units require calculations – do not redo the calculation for the students Write “insufficient” – what is insufficient, how is it insufficient. Writing feedback statements is a skill and it is important to word them in such a way that you are not telling the student what to do. This would be looked on as malpractice. Some IT, accounting and financial services units requirement calculations – do not redo the calculation for the students. Don’t write insufficient – this does not provide the student with any feedback at all – WHAT is insufficient, HOW is it insufficient. You must be specific.

Structuring and Recording Summative Assessment Use short sentences Tell the student what they have done well Don’t give the student the answer when you are providing feedback on what has NOT been done When you are writing feedback statements you should always keep the sentences short so the student can understand them. You should always tell the students what they have done well so they can carry that forward to future assessments You should not provide the student with the answer when you are providing feedback on what has not been done

Example Assessment Instrument requires the student to create a marketing plan. The student has not included this. It is a part of the assessment that the student should know to include a marketing plan. How do we write the feedback? Assessment Instrument requires the student to create a marketing plan. The student has not included this. It is a part of the assessment that the student should know to include a marketing plan. How do we write the feedback?

Your marketing plan is missing Do: Don’t: Your marketing plan is missing Do: It is not obvious from your response how the product will be launched Don’t: Your marketing plan is missing Do: It is not obvious from your response how the product will be launched This is acceptable because the student should know that a product launch requires a marketing plan and should prompt them to realise they have omitted this from their assessment

Example Calculation example How do you write the feedback to the student without providing the answer? This is an example of a calculation where the student has to calculate using exchange rates. How do you write the feedback to the student without providing the answer

Feedback You need to think who the buyer and who the seller of the currency is in this transaction. (there is only one alternative and that they will get it right next time but that feedback takes them back to the root of their error) Correct answer £206,666.67 You could write : You need to think who the buyer and who the seller of the currency is in this transaction. (there is only one alternative and that they will get it right next time but that feedback takes them back to the root of their error)

Graded Unit Feedback Feedback at the end of each stage Do not give mark Only indicate if student has met minimum requirements for the stage Indicate what has been done well Indicate what may cause problems in the future Graded Unit feedback When you are providing feedback for graded unit projects, the “rules” are much the same You should provide feedback at the end of each stage Do not provide the student with a mark – you should only indicate if the student has met the minimum requirements for the stage and they are allowed to progress Do indicate to the student what has been done well It is acceptable to indicate to the student what may cause problems in the future – for example you may see something in the planning stage which could cause problems to the student – you can feedback in general terms that this may be a future issue.

Workshop Objectives By the end of the workshop, you should: Understand the importance of feedback Be able to write structured and effective feedback to students for all types of assessment By the end of the workshop, you should: Understand the importance of feedback Be able to write structured and effective feedback to students for all types of assessment