Feedback
Feedback on your work and practice will form an important part of your studies at GCU. There are many different kinds of feedback from traditional written comments from lecturers or practice mentors/supervisors to discussion with peers, reflection on your own work and informal chats with staff.
Feedback is gold! If you can recognise it and interpret what it means, it can make a huge difference to your future work. Understanding feedback can mean the difference between a pass and fail or the difference between just passing and doing amazingly well. You might receive some feedback as you are working on an assignment, but even if the feedback comes after you have submitted, you can use it to improve next trimester's work.
Top tips
Feedback is gold. It can help you improve your grades.
Feedback comes in many forms: including written comments from lecturers and mentors/supervisors, peer discussions, informal chats and self-reflection.
Learn to recognise feedback no matter the form.
Read your written comments even if you receive the grade you were expecting.
If you have a comment you do not understand, ask your lecturer or someone from the LDC.
If you have a comment on written work that does not seem to relate to your point, consider that you may not have been clear – this can be one of the most valuable comments you will ever receive.
Feedback is about your work not you.
Approach feedback with a positive attitude.
Feeback dictionary
Different lecturers can have different styles of writing feedback on your work. Some comments appear as whole sentences while others may be just one or two words that form a kind of code . This guide is designed to help you understand the code for some of the more frequent comments so that you can use your feedback to improve your future work.
‘evidence?’
The claim you have made should be backed up with argument, research or an expert’s opinion.
‘exp’ or ‘explanation’
Your point may not be clear or may need more explanation so your lecturer can see that you understand the concept.
‘not a sentence’
Make sure all your sentences express a whole thought. Look at your grammar to see if you have made an error.
‘new paragraph?’
Academic paragraphs should be about one main idea. You have started talking about a new idea so you should start a new paragraph.
‘ref’, ‘ref?’ or ‘reference?’
The meaning of this comment depends on the context. If it is next to one of the references that appears in your assignment or your list of references, it means that you have made an error in the format of the reference and should check your guide. If it appears next to a piece of information that does not have a reference, it means that the information has come from another source and needs a reference.
‘unclear’
The sentence is overly complicated, has grammatical problems or does not make sense to the reader. In this case, it is often best to employ the KISS principal - Keep It Short and Simple.
‘too descriptive’
You have explained the details of a situation or an author’s work but you have not explained what you think about it and why (for more help see the materials on the Critical Thinking section).
‘be more critical’
The meaning of this comment depends on the context. For example, if it appears when you are discussing an author’s study or article, it means that you need to tell your reader what you think about the work and why. If the comment relates to a client/patient assessment it may mean that you have not looked at all the factors and provided a strong argument (for more help see the materials on the Critical Thinking section).