Providing feedback which encourages learning

Click on the links below to view them:. Bailey, R. Teachers' reflections on their practices. Teaching in Higher Education, , pp. Carless, D. Studies in Higher Education, 31 2 , pp. Harlen, W. Assessment in Education 10 2 , — Hanrahan, S.

Higgins, R. Juwah, C. Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback. Nicol, D in press From monologue to dialogue: Improving written feedback processes in mass higher education, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.

Nicol, D. Studies in Higher Education 28 4 , — Stead, D. Taras, M. Winter, C. Skip nav Menu. Importance of feedback in assessment Feedback has a significant effect on student learning and has been described as the most powerful single moderator that enhances achievement. View transcript. I think when I first started this entire blended learning journey, it was because I realised that there was so much content that we had.

But we had no opportunities to give student feedback. And so in the online space, we do that a lot by doing using adaptive tutorials, quizzes, and all of those kinds of things. But more than that, we also use the forum.

So in that way, the conversation is in the online space. But that conversation in the online space is continued in the face-to-face session. The way I actually use the blended environment actually defers in different weeks. It may be an adaptive tutorial. And then in class, we actually go one step ahead.

The students that we have are really high achieving students. And because they are high achieving students, they all want to be challenged all the time. And so giving them things in the online environment that may be slightly out of what we want to achieve in the course, but it will be something that shows them how it extends beyond this course, so things like integrating it with other disciplines, like pathology or pharmacology, or those kinds of things.

So we use the online environment for lots of those kind of things. The success criteria set the performance by which achievement of the learning intentions will be measured. The success criteria are made known to the learners and for learning to be most effective the success criteria are co-constructed with the learners. Effective feedback informs the learner about their progress towards meeting the success criteria.

In this model the learner considers three questions:. Read more about the feedback model in The power of feedback. Feedback needs to be timely. It needs to be given while there is still time for the learners to act on it and to monitor and adjust their own learning.

The practitioner will receive feedback from the way learners answer questions and the questions asked by them. In order to effectively gather evidence from questioning about who does and who does not understand it may be necessary to vary the way questions are asked in the classroom to ensure all learners are able to participate and provide evidence of their level of understanding. This evidence should indicate whether it is necessary to reteach, provide more varied discussion and practice, use peer teaching or move the learners forward.

Feedback on learning tasks also needs to be regular and provided as soon as possible after completion. Written, descriptive comments need to be in language that is accessible to the learners and should refer back to the preliminary discussion of learning goals and success criteria.

Effective feedback provides specific guidance on how to improve learning outcomes and it enables the learner to think about the learning involved in the task and not just the activity of completing the task.

The amount of feedback needs to be limited to what learners can reasonably accept. It is recognised that making errors is a fundamental point in improving learning. Feedback on where the misunderstandings and misconceptions are occurring assists learners to move to greater understanding and success, to become more self-directed and to believe in their ability to complete tasks and reach goals.

Feedback on formal tasks that just includes marks or grades or comments that discuss level of performance and suggest that the learning journey is finished should be avoided. This can prevent the learner from fully considering and acting on the feedback.

Multiple forms of feedback, such as comments, questions, and discussion provided frequently during learning encourage engagement and motivation to succeed. Effective feedback is understood by the recipient and motivates them to want to learn more effectively. When practitioners develop sound professional relationships with learners based on mutual respect, feedback is a two-way process that supports progress in learning for the learners and understanding about where the learners are on the learning continuum for the practitioners.

It has a clear purpose and is well organised. It both develops and demonstrates learning through effective student reflection. The learner uses the higher order metacognitive skills to consider what they learned and self-assess what they need to focus on next to progress their learning.

Digital artefacts can be derived from learning activities across all learning domains. An effective digital portfolio can be used to celebrate achievement, demonstrate progress through comparison over time and guide future learning.

The production of a digital portfolio encourages a partnership between students and their teachers and increased student ownership and accountability for their own learning.

A digital portfolio provides students, their parents and teachers with a rich record of learning. A digital portfolio is not a collection of all student tasks, but careful selections that demonstrate growth and new knowledge such as two artefacts that show progression in learning over time.

A digital portfolio can be used in many ways. Best practice portfolios would integrate student goal setting, self-assessment and reflection on learning with the presentation of learning examples. Portfolios could also refer to expected student learning outcomes Victorian Curriculum F