The Assessment Feedback Project is part of INSPIRE's programme of developing teaching, learning and assessment practice in our University with a view to addressing the need for an informed, consistent and appropriate approach to giving student feedback.

For the purposes of this stage of the Project, we reviewed examples of good written feedback practice from the samples of assignments normally kept for QAA purposes, academic year 2005 - 2006. We worked closely with the Student's Union (SU) who invited student representatives from all Faculties to focus groups to capture the participants' perceptions of criteria constituting good (written) feedback, and to review (anonymised) samples of good written feedback provided by the Faculties.

Student Criteria for Good Written Feedback, and Outcomes from Review Discussion:

Content:

Feedback should contain:

• Clear aims for improvement
• Examples of how students can improve
• Signposts to resources to aid improvement
• Remarks on both the positive and negative aspects of the work
• Remarks relevant to the work done
• Clear links to the assessment criteria and learning outcomes
• Comments on the quality of the work rather than the presence of elements of the assessment
• An invitation to discuss the feedback

Style:

Feedback should be:

• Constructive in tone
• Encouraginge
• Positive
• Honest
• Objective
• Written in the third person

Clarity:

Feedback should be:

• Legible
• Written in short clear sentences
• Consistent between markers
• Clearly aligned with the grade awarded

Our students place great trust in their tutors and are keen for their advice. Students were encouraged by enthusiastic tutors and wanted their feedback to demonstrate this. They want to feel that their work has been appreciated and they want to know that their tutor has put some work into marking it.

It is important that good quality, unambiguous, sufficient feedback is given to students and time is permitted for discussion to take place, preferably on a one-to-one basis between student and lecturer.

Feedback should be concise and to the point but the mix of feedback methods - on cover sheets, against criteria mark sheets, in discussion with the tutor - should address all the necessary points.

Students were aware of assessment criteria in module guides, and were anxious that their feedback should properly reflect the assessment criteria. The use of criteria assessment sheets was considered useful. However these should be relevant, and allow for comment on the quality of the student submission against the criteria, rather than just an indication of the presence of elements of the criteria.

It was considered that feedback written in the third person was more objective, and helped to ensure that comments were taken as relevant to the work, rather than as personal observations.

Students indicated that they had found it difficult to accept constructive criticism when they first started their studies, but had come to recognise how useful it was as they progressed. They identified a need for students to be made aware of how to use and respond to constructive feedback. Whilst peer feedback had been uncomfortable when first experienced, those students who had participated in peer feedback had felt that it was ultimately very useful.

The purpose of written assignment feedback - whether formative or summative - should always be formative in nature. Students need to be able to receive good quality formative feedback to feed-forward into their summative assignments, and good quality summative feedback which they can feed-forward to their next assignments.