Technology, Feedback, Action!: The impact of learning technology upon students'

engagement with their feedback

Stuart Hepplestone

S.J.Hepplestone@shu.ac.uk

Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Innovation

Learning and Teaching Institute

Structure of presentation

• Project overview• Method• Headlines from the literature• Emerging findings• Project deliverables and outcomes• Audience questions and discussion

Action!

Feedback

Technology

Project overview

• Potential of technology-enabled feedback to improve student learning

• 12-month project, funded by the Higher Education Academy EvidenceNet - http://evidencenet.pbwiki.com/

• Evaluate technical interventions:– Blackboard Grade Centre for online publication of feedback and marks– Adaptive release of marks through Assignment Handler– Feedback Wizard linking feedback to learning outcomes

• Exploring:– logistical benefits (convenience, ease of access, legibility)– learning benefits (aligning feedback to learning outcomes, deep reflection,

action planning)

Method

• Literature review:– good feedback practice– application of technology to support delivery and use of feedback– published via EvidenceNet at: http://tinyurl.com/c8uolj

• Semi-structured interviews– 30 undergraduate students (Level 5)– 6 - 8 students from each Faculty:

• Arts, Computing, Engineering & Science - Computer Networks• Development & Society - Psychology• Health & Wellbeing - Diagnostic Radiography• Organisation & Management - Events Management

Headlines from literature: current issues

• Traditional feedback practices are not effective:– bunching of assessment tasks limits scope for feed-forward– student dissatisfaction with timeliness and usefulness of feedback (National

Student Survey)

• Staff complain that feedback does not work:– students fail to act on feedback– students are only concerned with their mark– is this based on anecdotal evidence from tutors?– call for further research

Headlines from literature: improving student engagement with feedback

• Disengaging the mark from feedback• Development of reflective skills/personal development planning• Feedback grids• Technology-enabled feedback:

– feedback by email/VLE is private and convenient …– …and legible– electronic marking sheets and comment banks linking feedback to learning

outcomes

Emerging findings: logistical benefits #1

• Convenience, ease of access and timely feedback:– Grade Centre allows quick access to marks, feedback and submitted work,

and enables students to track their performance on each module:• 'I'll get my grade quickly…if it's a paper submission …I don't have to go

and find [that paper submission] again to find out what my grade was…I can access it from anywhere'

• 'You get all the subject matter on Blackboard anyway, so it's easy to get hold of, then you've got your assignments and your answers to them and your feedback'

• 'Read it at your convenience'• 'Just to know what my progress is in the module…do I need to start

really kicking myself into shape to work harder?'– An overall course overview?:

• 'I've got a spreadsheet at home with all my grades on… and look for trends'

Emerging findings: logistical benefits #2

• Legibility and structure of feedback:– Use of typed feedback/track changes:

• 'If they've [provided feedback] on Blackboard they tend to have to think about it before they type it'

• 'You can see exactly which bits have got their attention…it makes it easy to see how you can improve next time because you know what they're looking for'

• 'Annotated right next to the point they're talking about'

Emerging findings: learning benefits #1

• Adaptive release of marks to support deep reflection and action planning:– 'I think it's a good idea in principle, because it does help you track your

feedback and improve yourself on it'– 'I wrote down what I thought about their feedback…I thought it would be

helpful to me, so I took it quite seriously…you can set yourself targets'– However:

• It is seen as a 'carrot and stick' approach - 'I've already done the work so why can't I just have the grade with my feedback?'

• 'The first few times I would look at the comments and think about what do I need to improve but…I've stopped doing it and I just press submit'

• 'I think I get an email that actually confirms my grade…but I don't store that one anyway'

– Would more explanation around the process help?:• 'I didn't quite understand the process'• '…just a little help note'

Emerging findings: learning benefits #2

• Linking feedback to learning outcomes:– Considered important:

• 'Because normally you do your assessment to the criteria'– However:

• 'You never really see the assessment criteria that you're being marked against…how can you as a student push yourself to get better grades?'

• Other methods of engaging with feedback:– Peer-to-peer feedback and Blackboard discussion forums:

• 'You can ask questions and get feedback tailored to what you're after, which is quite useful as…you can improve on it afterwards'

• 'You could see what other people thought'– Speak to tutors:

• 'I generally…take on board the comments…I'll go and speak to the lecturer concerned and say 'Look, you've marked me down on this area of the assignment, where can I improve?''

Project deliverables and outcomes

• Contribute to the understanding and development of technology-enhanced feedback:– final report to the Higher Education Academy EvidenceNet– good practice guides for the application of technology to deliver actionable

feedback– wiki - literature review, discussion articles, voluntary submission of TFA case

studies– You are invited to read, comment and contribute to the literature review at:

http://tinyurl.com/c8uolj

Audience questions and discussion

Adaptive release of marks

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Sample feedback sheet

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