Jane Simmonds, Anne Peasey; Mike Rowson (GOS, ICH)

10 minute talk

Feedback is inseparable from the learning process, and is integral to theories of learning. Feedback should help students to: understand their performance, perform to a higher standard on future assessments, aid confidence and the belief they have control over their success in higher education. However, students in higher education report dissatisfaction with feedback and some data suggests that students often do not check their written feedback when they receive their marks. When students do engage, they often report that feedback is not useful to them, that they struggle to apply the comments and suggestions given to future assignments, and that feedback looks back at work that has been done, rather than forward to how they can improve. These issues are particularly difficult to address within one year full-time postgraduate programmes. Based on student feedback from the Post Graduate Taught Experience survey (PTES), the Faculty of Population Health Sciences has identified feedback as an area of teaching and learning in which we need to improve on current practice. To address this, we have elected to use a dual pronged approach, working with students and staff to understand and close the feedback gap that exists between what students understand and expect from feedback and how staff perceive and provide feedback. We would value the opportunity to share with colleagues and students our work to date and discuss and learn with groups from across UCL practical solutions for improving the perceptions and application of quality feedback.

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