1. Alasdair Blair & Sam McGinty
Students’ experiences of feedback: unpicking the NSS scores to support new teaching methodologies
Alasdair Blair & Sam McGinty

2. Context
NTFS project 2009 – 2012
‘It’s Good to Talk: Feedback, Dialogue and Learning’
3 Universities – De Montfort, Warwick and London Metropolitan
Feedback-dialogues

3. National Student Survey
Methodological issues:
Numbers and meanings
Quantitative versus qualitative

4. Questionnaire De Montfort University London Metropolitan University
388 responses
History
Politics
International Relations
Survey Monkey

5. NSS scores 68% 87% 69% 61% 78% City - History New - History
City – Politics/IR
New – Politics/IR
The criteria used in marking have been clear in advance.
68%
87%
69%
61%
Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair.
78%

6. NSS Scores 61% 74% 52% 64% 66% 80% 63% 76% 65% 79% 56% 59%
City - History
New - History
City - Politics
New - Politics
Feedback on my work has been prompt.
61%
74%
52%
64%
I have received detailed comments on my work.
66%
80%
63%
76%
Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand.
65%
79%
56%
59%

7. Prompt feedback
Return times
Transferable to next assignment.

8. Detailed feedback
Includes verbal and written – all aspects of work including exams.

9. Clarifies understanding
I have tutorials to discuss assignment feedback
Frequently
Sometimes
Never
City
10.2%
37.1%
43.5%
New
34.2%
53.5%
10.5%

10. Teaching methodologies
Exam feedback
Feed-forward
Lessons from other subject disciplines