Feedback

Selected and produced by Neil Currant, OCSLD, Oxford Brookes University

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfMCMm1htLY

Transcript

Interview with Caroline Dangerfield, President of the University of Salford Students' Union

Q: What role does feedback play in your learning?: A: Feedback plays a vital role in my learning. As a student, feedback is essential in your development. In terms of knowing where you are going right and in terms of areas where you need to improve. So you can get those all important marks increased to make sure you do better in your next assessment.
Q: What kind of Feedback do you find most useful and why?: A: Before an assessment, I find that more informal feedback is really helpful. Maybe a sort of continuous dialogue, exchange or conversation of perhaps ideas. When it comes to formal assessment, I personally find written feedback the most helpful. Particularly annotated scripts, essays or exams where tutors will particularly point out areas that are good, areas which then need improvement. I like written feedback so I can refer back to it later.
Q: When do you need feedback the most and why?: A: I need feedback the most before I take the assessment. So before I submit my assignment, before I take the examination. In most cases the assignment is before the examination so to get feedback on the assignment before you sit the examination is really, really helpful. You want to know how you can do the best that you can before the assessment. Afterwards, obviously it is important to know how you can improve for your next module but before hand for me is the most vital time to get that feedback. … and the question I would like to ask to you is how could you develop your practices to make your feedback more engaging and perhaps more of a dialogue with your students.

Starter questions for a discussion based on the video resource

What are your thoughts on Caroline comments about feedback?
How would you respond to her question - How could you develop your practices to make your feedback more engaging and perhaps more of a dialogue with your students?