Course

Mark/grade

Feedback from tutor

Self-reported by student

Requested focus

Rationale

The catch with feedback (particularly with regard to the NSS question 1 about 'receiving detailed feedback') is that students might not remember how much they got, and when asked if it was detailed, will probably remember that some of it was, and some wasn't, thus giving a mediocre answer. If all the feedback on the degree can be collected as per the mock-up below, and it becomes the one-stop shop for feedback then personal tutors and students can both see it. This makes it much easier to request feedback on particular aspects, to see progression and spot trouble (eg marks suddenly dipping). The trick is to get it into Moodle.... This mock-up is extremely basic, obviously and definitely incomplete. Let me know if there is interest in creating a fully-fledged version ( j.p.davies@ucl.ac.uk). Another use of this is to allow tutors to see if the same items recur over time and or appreciate (sometimes) that more feedback is not necessarily helpful: it can become cumbersome if there's more than people can take in.

Initial feedback is that some departments do not want the feedback request column (but others do). It seems we need to have core and optional elements.

An even more radical idea would be to let students nominate the grade they wish to get, so that feedback can be pitched at that: if they say they want a first, but put in 2:2 work, the feedback need not be very long, it could be ‘spend three times as long on your essays if you really want a first, study the criteria much more closely.’ This idea gets a mixed reception but it is part of the change from ‘feedback as filling in as much knowledge as possible’ to ‘feedback that acknowledges pragmatism and different prioritisation in learning’. It makes the student responsible (and able to choose) rather than the teacher.

Course name and code

Any summative assessment

This (hopefully) collected from grademark automatically

This copied/pasted by student for non-grade mark work

This what the student asked for particular attention on

Discursive MA

EDUCGC01

Pass

(Large amount of text, possibly via a link to open in new window)

(A note by the student of what tutor said when student bumped into them after the essay was marked)

N/a

EDUCGC02

Pass

(Lots of text)

(Notes on another student's comments)

Essay structure. Feedback talked about basics.

Technical science degree

This is just a very basic idea of the kind of thing you might see in a particular record.

101

Good. Watch the notation.

Was just A level stuff

N/A

102

Some careless errors. Review lecture reading on X.

Was no longer just A level...

Didn't ask

103

You haven't grasped Y - all the errors relate to that. See the Moodle block for practice quizzes.

Y is very complicated! Ask Brainy Student.

Didn't ask

104

This is very patchy. Check your answers!

Timetabling disaster.

Asked about Y

201

Less carelessness, well done. Review 3D equations

Took ages.

Asked about Y. Didn't get a response.

...

301

The pattern is that you alternate between careless errors and incomplete background. You must use the Moodle quizzes more before submitting work. It will get worse unless you change things. Here, you would have seen this if you had used estimation and approximate modelling.

That's about right, if I'm honest.

302

Big improvement on checking: still some areas you don't realise you're not understanding. Try to set up a peer review with someone?

303

This was either done under great pressure or something is amiss: uncharacteristically weak application of understanding from module 201-3. Please see your personal tutor if something is amiss and ask about extenuating circumstances processes if you need to use them. Most of the errors will appear in detail in the group feedback session and exam revision classes. Consider reviewing the Moodle for those modules and doing quizzes.

Need to see personal tutor.

Revision classes

n/a

I forget the stuff we do after we've done it, need to go over notes. More quizzes for each module would be good.

Jason Davies 2013-4