An exploration of effective teaching through feedback on students’ assignments Sue Forsythe, Cathy Smith, Charlotte Webb Mathematics Education School of Mathematics and Statistics

Outline for this session 11.45-11.55 Introductions and power-point presentation 11.55-12.05 first small group activity Discuss and critique example feedback comments and come up with 3 points 12.05-12.15 Whole group debrief of the activity 12.15-12.30 second small group activity Draw a concept map of effective assessment feedback 12.30-12.45 whole group discussion on innovative ideas used in your departments issues / challenges of providing effective feedback in the DL context

Feedback: the issues Sadler (2010, P. 4) describes marking and providing feedback as “labour intensive and cognitively demanding.” The provision of detailed feedback on students’ work is considered to be a part of teaching (Open University, 2017). Many tutors consider that their feedback on students’ work is a conversation over how to improve aspects of their work (Tuck, 2012). However tutors also suspect that many students do not pay attention to the feedback comments and instead focus only on the grade or mark. This can be very dispiriting for tutors who feel that they put a lot of effort into marking that is not appreciated by their intended audience.

Exposition versus teaching for constructivist learning when providing feedback Sadler (2010) describes written feedback as a form of teaching by exposition with the feedback sheet being the instructional medium, a form of communication from the tutor to the student which is carried out asynchronously. Feedback which includes some explanation of why the student’s work falls short and of why the suggestions the marker gives are an improvement could be considered to be more effective in the constructivist sense of helping the student make sense of the feedback and to learn something from it (Walker, 2009).

The language used in assessment criteria and in feedback To interpret feedback on their work and use it to improve students need to be able to understand and assimilate what they have learnt from reading the feedback. This implies that students need to understand the language and discourse used in feedback (Sadler, 2010). Price et al (2010) found that, students they interviewed, during a three year investigation into university tutors’ and students’ views on feedback, often did not understand how to use feedback from tutors nor did they understand the discourse used in feedback and the former probably feeds into the latter.

Monitoring / moderation of markers’ feedback In most if not all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) tutors’ marking is itself assessed, referred to as monitoring or moderating. Monitoring tutors’ marking and feedback is often presented nas professional development (Open University, 2017). However moderation is also a form of quality control with the intention to provide consistency of marking across tutors. Tuck (2012) showed how markers’ experience of having their marking moderated mirrors the experience of students having their assignments marked. In the same way as their students need to learn to write using the academic style required of their discipline, so the tutors are required to provide feedback according to the specific expectations of the HEI

Specific challenges in the DL context Hepplesone and Chikwa (2014) interviewed seven students in higher education, on how they engage with feedback. One of their findings was that participants valued feedback which is returned electronically as it provides a record of the achievement and the opportunity to respond to feedback and have a personal dialogue with tutors. However this took place in a face to face university. The students, being familiar with technology, made use of it to organise their assessment results and to facilitate dialogue among their peers. It is more challenging to experience this same level of dialogue between tutors and peers in a DL context.

First small group activity You have been given copies of feedback comments from the module ‘Developing thinking in algebra’ In your group discuss and critique the feedback comments on the sheet. Use this critique to devise up to 3 points about assessment feedback

Second small group activity In your group discuss the challenges of providing effective assessment feedback in the distance learning context. Together complete the concept map.

Whole group discussion This is your opportunity to share any innovative ideas for assessment feedback which are used in your department. Any issues / challenges to making assessment feedback effective in a DL environment?

References Hepplestone, S. and Chikwa, G., 2014. Understanding how students process and use feedback to support their learning. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 8(1), pp.41- 53. Open University, 2017 Correspondence tuition in computing and communications Price, M., Handley, K., Millar, J. and O'Donovan, B., 2010. Feedback: all that effort, but what is the effect? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(3), pp.277-289. Sadler, D.R., 2010. Beyond feedback: Developing student capability in complex appraisal. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), pp.535-550. Tuck, J., 2012. Feedback-giving as social practice: Teachers’ perspectives on feedback as institutional requirement, work and dialogue. Teaching in Higher Education, 17(2), pp.209- 221. Walker, M., 2009. An investigation into written comments on assignments: do students find them usable? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(1), pp.67-78.