Feedback

What is feedback?

Feedback at University can take many forms, including:

  • a number grade on a course or a piece of work

  • informal verbal feedback from demonstrators about your work in tutorials

  • individual-level written comments on a piece of homework/assessment

  • class-level feedback about a piece of homework/assignment and the common pitfalls encountered

  • results from an online quiz

Sometimes the comments only concern this particular piece of work (for example, specific content mistakes). But most of the time they can be applied ("fed forward") to other, similar pieces of work, such as how you write mathematics generally and present arguments.

Using feedback effectively

When you receive marked homework/assignments do not just file them away without looking at your feedback! Learning is an iterative process, and you should try and learn from your mistakes and take that learning forward. Homework is designed to help you, and is not just about "completing a tickbox" by handing it in, you should view it as a step in your learning process.

  • Include working through feedback as part of your study place by designating time to read and understand the feedback. If the piece of work now has worked solutions available, go through these with your original work and any feedback comments.

  • Try to identify places that you could improve your work if you were to do it again. This doesn't just mean whether or not you go the "correct answer", but also your writing style, whether you defined your notation, or how you explained your steps.

  • If a piece of work has class-level feedback, be sure to consider all the points here. You might not have made one of the common mistakes listed, but it will be helpful to consider these to improve your chances of not making them in the future!