Title: Feedback and moderation
Tutors: Academic Development team: Dr Annie Bryan, Dr Luis Pereira
Place and Date: Techno Center CC1.3 - 20/06/2019 09:00 - 13:00
The focus of this workshop is on:
Regarding feedback, it is important that students do not see feedback as a ‘finished product’ but part of an on-going process, or dialogue. There is a need for shared understanding of the purpose of feedback between tutors and students. Students may need advice on understanding and using feedback before they can engage with it. A lack of understanding can result in lack of student engagement with the feedback.
Regarding feedback, vague comments such as “good” are of limited use if students don’t understand why they have been given. When setting the assignment, we should ensure that students are clear on what is being asked of them, by providing transparency in assignment briefs, rubrics and examplars. When marking, we shouldn't feel the need to expand on all the points we make in our feedback to individual students. Instead, we should offer generic feedback to the whole group before students complete the task (or in advance of grades being released) so that students can interpret their own feedback in relation to this. From the second assessment onwards, we should ask students to reflect on how they have used feedback from the previous assessment(s) to inform their current submission. This supports the development of students’ assessment literacy and their engagement with feedback. We should also consider scope for self- and peer-assessment, as well as automated feedback. We should also consider the value of “light touch” marking for small pieces of work (e.g. field work notes given marks out of 10). Feedback doesn’t have to be written- we should consider use of audio, video, and blogs. We should think about how we can split marking across the team effectively, and how we will achieve consistency in feedback (e.g. calibration meetings; pre-moderation).
Regarding pre-moderation, we should not rush to just get it signed off immediately, and we shoud not make it personal. Instead, the focus should be on the MID and the assessment and whether it is clear what is expected of students. We should be open to dialogue and debate. Regarding post-moderation, we should plan time for this into the marking timescales, and decide how problems will be resolved in the event of disagreements.