Workshop session

“Now I’ve got the feedback, what do I do with it?” Strategies for students to get more out of tutor feedback

get ore out of tutor feedback

Dr Deirdre Burke: National Teacher Fellowship [email protected]

What do you think students do with your feedback on their work?

What did you do with feedback on your work?

Workshop session• What indeed should students do with the

feedback? • Weaver (2006) lack of guidance for students

on what to do with feedback

• Session explores a range of activities to help students get more out of tutor written feedback on their work.




Challenges?Benefits?

Linked webfoliosStudents are provided with a hyperlink to a webfolio-this reminds students of the assessed task- breaks down the structure of the feedback form-provides guidance on referencing and study skills-Provides exemplars of student work on the specific task - short examples to illustrate good practice

Consult the linked webfolio for initial guidance and illustrations of good practice: http://pebblepad.wlv.ac.uk/webfolio.aspx?webfolioid= 966245You can follow up this feedback by arranging a one-to-one session with a Skills Tutor in The Student Support Office MC238, Tel: 01902 323365)

Hyperlink and information on feedback form

http://pebblepad.wlv.ac.uk/webfolio.aspx?webfolioid=966196




Challenges?Benefits?

Workshop session• An opportunity for you to try out a strategy

to unpack/ act on feedback.

• Feedback tutorial template- skills advice/ subject• Subject tutorial: Preparing for/ undertaking • Providing hyperlinks in marking• Developing a feedback proforma to distinguish

between feedback/ feedforward

“Now I’ve got the feedback, what do I do with it?” Helping students to get more out of tutor feedback


Proforma forFeedback/Feedforward

The Strategy

- to help students differentiate between:feedback on work, and feedforward for future learning

- help students move from being passive recipient of feedback

- to help students see benefit of feedforward for developing skills

- to help students see how they work on the feedback in specific ways

- to motivate students by providing them with advice to improve their learning at the time they receive the feedback

BenefitsClearly distinguishes feedback on the marked work from feedforwardMakes it easier for students to unpack tutor commentsRecords the student’s intention at the time of their reading of the feedback, thus, making it more likely that the student will take note of the feedback.

ChallengesTutors to divide comments between feedback and feedforward.Encouraging students to act on the feedforward advice is still an issue.

The Process-Read the essay extract and make two comments about the work:

- use the proforma to divide comments between feedback/ feedforward

- Feedback comments relate to the assessment of the actual essay, indicating to the student how far the learning outcomes have been achieved

-Feedforward comments explain how to act on feedback to develop skills or address mistakes. (Select one of the explanatory comments or the hyperlinks to support your feedforward advice.)

-Note points to add to the sections below on benefits and challenges.

Feedback Feedforward

Structure You showed a good level of engagement with the material, but your focus on the question could have been tighter.

Explore this link for advice on structuring an argument http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/arts/english/2.2.xml

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/arts/english/2.2.xml






Preparing for a subject tutorial

The StrategyThis stage of preparation, and the use of an agreed template, can empower the student to use the opportunity to ask the questions they want to about the feedback and their essay performance in an appropriate manner.

This ‘reframing’ of the tutorial process follows Boud’s recommendation to go beyond seeing students as ‘passive recipients of feedback’ (in Boud & Falchikov 2007).

The use of a form for this activity actsto legitimize students asking questions about the feedback, and by moving through stages make it easier for students to ask difficult questions about feedback comments.

BenefitsThis process of going through the questions arising from tutor feedback can help students to overcome the psychological barrier of facing criticism by placing them in control of the situation. Instead of being the passive recipient of feedback, students can ask the questions that interest them from the feedback

ChallengesGetting tutors to recognise the importance of student led tutorials on feedback. Helping students develop the confidence to ask questions.

The Process-Read the essay extract follow this guidance to frame questions to ask the tutor about the feedback comments.-start with two comments you think you understand and write these down. You will use these to show the tutor that you have taken the time to read through the feedback and think about the implications of tutor comments. -Then move on to two comments you are not sure about, e.g. To request clarification on the meaning of a term used by the tutor, or questioning why the feedback says they haven’t done something they think they have done.-Note points to add to the sections below on benefits and challenges.

Activity: Invite students to complete the ‘Preparation for a tutorial section of the form.Use these prompts to prepare for a tutorial with your module tutor. Make an appointment with your tutor, take this form and your assignment to the tutorial.

Feedback that you understand Fill in the actions you intend to take on these points and discuss with your tutor

You should make more use of the quotations you include.

I understand this to mean that when I include a quote I should draw out the implications that the quote has for my essay. The quote might back up the point I am making, or it might offer a different perspective so I can use it as a jumping off point for the next part of my essay. In either case I need to make explicit reference to my reason for including the quote.



Providing hyperlinks in marking

The StrategyStudents often fail to follow up tutor feedback because they don’t know what to do with it (Burke 2007).

Stephani, 1998, noted that students want information on how to develop their work. This approach addresses these points by providing links to sources that expand on feedback points and provide exemplars and online tutorials.

Feedback banks have been identified as an important resource for tutors in providing access to the range of statements that tutors are likely to make on student work. In this instance the aim is to build on such work but to focus on statements that link to electronic resources for students to use in following up feedback advice.

BenefitsThis focus on the ‘pedagogic role’ of written feedback, can ‘facilitate learning’ by making it easy for students to follow-up feedback advice, as well as playing ‘an induction role into the academic discourse community’ (Hyatt, 2005: 351) through the provision of exemplars. This process can help to make transparent the ‘academic conventions’ that tutors may take for granted, and such exemplars allow students ‘adequate participation’ (Lillis & Turner, 2001: 66).The use of subject specific examples helped students ‘see’ how skills requirements for planning, structuring and referencing looked within their own discipline.

ChallengesThe content external sites may change and not remain relevant to the intended purpose; provision of internal sites can be technically challenging, although the ability to develop materials that you put on line reduces the reliance on others. We can provide the links but students still need to click on them to access the content!

The Process-Read the essay extract and look through the list of hyperlinks to see which type of material would best help the student:- general information- on-line tutorials- exemplarsSelect one area and look at the information provided in the hyperlink: -would this be helpful for your students?- how could you develop it for your use?Identify three areas that you constantly provide feedback on:- academic skills- subject specific

-Note points to add to the sections below on benefits and challenges.

Try this tutorial on Structuring an argument


Undertaking a Subject/ skills tutorial



The Strategy

The Feedback Tutorial template provides a way of structuring tutorial sessions so that a record of the discussion is provided and the student is offered a way of following up the issue flagged in tutor feedback.

The template makes it possible for a Skills Tutor to work within a short time-slot to explore one aspect of tutor feedback and offer some materials to start to address the feedback. The provision of hyperlinks has the advantage of anytime anyplace accessibility for students. Research by Cottrell (2001) identified the reluctance of students to consult study skills texts in following up tutor feedback, and hyperlinks make it easy for students to access information from the convenience of their own study. Hyperlinks can also take students directly to suggested materials, rather than leave them ploughing through sections of a book.

BenefitsGuides a student’s ability to prioritise problem areas. The flexibility of the template to offer opportunities to improve which are appropriate to student learning style. The sheer convenience of e-access to resources.Customisation of the feedback to the level and nature of student need

ChallengesTo personalise links so they are specific to the individual.To guide students through the steps they need to take to improve.

Exemplars could play a role in preparing students for assignments.

The Process- In pairs, one take role of student and one the role of Skills/ Subject tutor.

Student: read through your essay and identify points to discuss in the tutorial.

Tutor: read through the Feedback Tutorial Template and see how to use it.Role play a tutorial, take ten minutes:-for the student to ask for help-the tutor to read parts of the essay- both discuss a major point in feedback-then the tutor summarise the discussion and select a hyperlink to help the student follow up the discussion.-Note points to add to the sections below on benefits and challenges.



Feedback/Feedforward


Challenges?Benefits

Subject tutorial: Preparing for/ undertaking





Challenges?Benefits

Providing hyperlinks in marking





Challenges?Benefits

Feedback/ feedforward





Challenges?Benefits

Questions/ comments

Workshop session

Documents

feedback proforma

feedback formstudents

feedback formprovides

students intention

encouraging students

passive recipient of

skills tutor

tutor feedbackdr deirdre