Helping students to use feedback

One of the disconcerting aspects of providing detailed feedback is that there are always students who do not read and reflect on it in order to improve their learning. In other words they regard the assessment as a summative isolated activity. To help students make the best possible use of feedback, consider some of the following strategies:

• create opportunities and activities that help students to reflect on feedback. (This can be done in the classroom or online.)
• relate each assessment task to previous work and subsequent assessment (within and across units as appropriate)
• make sure the feedback can be easily understood and focuses on what students can DO to improve
• before marking, ask students to discuss the type of feedback they would like (This can be done in face-to-face classes or online classes and gives students some agency in respect to their work.)
• after returning the assessed piece of work, have students discuss the feedback with a fellow student.
• ask students to identify at least one weakness they will work on in subsequent assessment tasks. (This can also be done in face-to-face classes or online classes and sends the message that reflection on feedback is important and valuable.)