Student Feedback Guide

A GUI D STUD E BY ENTS FOR STUD ENTS

How to use your feedback to help you...

GET BETTER GRADES!

INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Assessment Feedback Guide!

This is a collation of student views and stories provided to you by the University of Reading Student Panel. This guide is here to highlight the different forms of assessment feedback, how this feedback can be helpful and where to go if you need help with your feedback.

Contents What do we mean by feedback?...............................................

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How do you get your feedback?...............................................

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Why was your feedback helpful?..............................................

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What did you do with your feedback?......................................

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Where did you go if you did not understand your feedback?

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Feedback stories.........................................................................

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Glossary of key feedback terms...............................................

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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY FEEDBACK?

We asked our student panel what feedback means to them

Feedback is any written or oral critical evaluation of a piece of work. It is supposed to be constructive and general enough to enable progression.

Feedback is what lecturers provide to point out what I have done well and what I've understood, but also what I am missing and what I can improve on so I can do better on my next piece of work. I receive feedback on Turnitin for the assignments I submit and my lecturer provides it.

Feedback to me gives you the opportunity to progress and helps you to understand good performance and what is expected of you.

I look at feedback as a way lecturers support us. Giving us a way to see where we did well and where we can improve for next time.

Feedback guides me to the right direction.

Feedback provides an alternative perspective to any formative or summative work submitted which provides guidance and support for future assignments.

Feedback is oral or written comments about the quality of a piece of work such as an assignment and can include praise for what is done well and pointers for areas of improvement.

Feedback to me is like a roadmap which your assessor gives you... giving you specific points that you need to improve, using which you can progress and go forward.

In my opinion, feedback is anything that can provide me guidance to better my work, be it in an academic situation or not. It is a way for me to be aware of what other people, potentially more knowledgeable than me, think of my performance which then helps me think of ways to improve it.

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HOW DO YOU GET YOUR FEEDBACK? In person or online (Turnitin). Usually, the markers are individuals who are specialists on the topic of the assignment.

Most of my feedback is verbal (during practicals or problem classes) or given to me through Blackboard after I've handed in an assignment.

Either verbally or written

Feedback in it's most common form comes from lecturers in the form of written feedback on assessed pieces of work. Although this is not the only possible place to get feedback from, often showing a family member or friend and asking them to proof read can be helpful.

Feedback is given by my lectures online, through Turnitin or emails and in rare cases orally in 1-to-1 meetings or in class, after submitting work.

I find that what I consider feedback depends on what the marking criteria asks for. If there is a rubric given, then feedback can be a few words that align with key words in the rubric. If it’s an online test, then thorough feedback includes both my score and the answers with the correct one highlighted. Feedback on Turnitin is typically notes scattered throughout the answers/essay, alongside an overall piece of feedback. Feedback is typically given by the lecturer who set the task. They occasionally use peer feedback (mainly for presentations) to give an overall grade.

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WHY WAS YOUR FEEDBACK HELPFUL?

It gave me that confidence boost I needed.

The feedback was helpful because it was encouraging - noting what went well and also providing examples on how to improve for future assignments.

It gives me the confidence to keep going as it isn't only where I went wrong but also the strengths I had within that piece of work.

The feedback was helpful to me as I was a bit unsure of myself at the beginning of the programme, as I was concerned that the requirements of the lecturers in the UK are different from what I am used to. Feedback allows me to know what I am doing right and what areas I need to work on more.

It boosted my self- confidence.

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WHY WAS YOUR FEEDBACK HELPFUL?

It helped me improve my work as I was able to add the improvements in my following pieces of work and received higher marks.

Feedback is especially important for the first piece of assessed work of the module, so that you know what the assessor is looking for in the next piece of work and improvements can be made.

It gave me a clear idea as to how to develop my writing as well as my approach to writing in the first place.

Feedback is useful because it offers advice on how I can approach other assignments in the future, it also can give me confidence in my abilities.

It helped me with future tasks.

If it's pointed out to me once, I'm less likely to make that same mistake again.

My feedback allowed me to redraft pieces of work with the feedback in mind so that I could have a model answer of sorts to refer to. It also highlighted areas I needed to work on in the future.

Feedback is often helpful as it gives you pointers, which can be used across other modules, for example feedback on referencing can be transferred across a range of assignments and proves to be very helpful.

Feedback is helpful when there are very specific ways to improve and examples given. For example, I was directed to a specific research journal as an example of how to make my research paper flow better.

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WHY WAS YOUR FEEDBACK HELPFUL? My feedback was helpful because it gave me specific insight into my progress as a student. Positive feedback reassured me that I was on the right path while negative feedback highlighted the areas I needed to improve in. It helped me do better in later classes and made me a better student as a result.

Feedback is helpful because it allows me to be more aware of my flaws and where I did go wrong so I can improve on it in future work.

It gave me the steps needed to better myself.

Feedback is helpful when it is a balance between positive affirmation of good work and constructive criticism. This is important as it doesn’t dishearten me (like just criticism would) but it gives me clear pointers and ways to develop in a helpful way, especially if it’s specific to the rubric.

Feedback was useful for me because it helped me improve my writing skills and changed my approach towards certain tasks. For example: by being more analytical and critical.

Feedback is usually helpful as it helps us to see the work from other perspectives.

My feedback is helpful as they tend to give thought provoking questions, this then helps you form your argument further in your ideas.

My feedback is helpful as it allows me to see where in the questions, I made an error and allows me to focus on that particular topic in my studies, highlighting to me that it is something I have to work on a bit more.

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WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR FEEDBACK? ART Often when I receive feedback online I book a tutorial with the lecturer in order to discuss it to gain further understanding. Within my studio work I then book a tutorial with a random lecturer and combine the key points from both sessions to focus on developing my art for well rounded feedback. When its specific to essay modules I compile formative feedback and use it as my focus points when writing my summative.

BUSINESS I read each feedback carefully to understand every aspect. I analysed my work based on the feedback to identify my mistakes. Then I tried to modify and enhance my work based on working on feedback received.

FOOD SCIENCE I always refer to previous pieces feedback when approaching new assignments to remind myself of the marker's expectations of my work.

LAW I refer back to the feedback while writing assignments, paying particular attention to the comments regarding how to improve.

AGRICULTURE I used my feedback as a checklist to help me with similar assignments in the future. I used it as a way to learn about my mistakes and to develop my understanding about what was wanted from me to achieve my target grades.

ACCOUNTING I used my feedback to reflect on my work and set out an action plan for how I could either avoid or include what was advised to me.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES I redo the questions I got wrong/redraft the essay and save the feedback to reference next time I am doing a similar assignment.

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WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR FEEDBACK? ECOLOGY I celebrate what I do well and take note of what I haven't got quite right so that moving forward, I know what I need to work on to improve my work and therefore grade. I also compare my feedback to the rubric if it is provided so that I know how my work compares to the expectations set out in the rubric.

METEOROLOGY I use my feedback as guidance for my next piece of work or similar assignments in different modules.

MATHS I take the feedback I was given and write it into my original piece of work.

This allows me to see the correct working out to for that question and makes sure I do not make the same error again.

POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Re-read feedback a day or two after I received it so I can review the points raisedI tried to fix my mistakes on the next assignment by making a checklist of the points.

PSYCHOLOGY I make a note of the feedback and check it against feedback from other assignments to see if there are any patterns on things I need to improve and to see if I am making progress.

COMPUTER SCIENCE When I receive my feedback, I usually look back on the work I've submitted so I can see exactly where I went wrong. I then take a mental note of the feedback I received to ensure a mistake as such doesn't occur again, this way I know that I'm moving in the right direction.

PSYCHOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY I read my feedback and summarize the common mistakes to make a list. Next time I write my paper, I will go through the list and try to improve. I might also discuss with students who have similar feedback as mine and read each other’s paperwork to understand the feedback better.

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WHERE DID YOU GO IF YOU DIDN’T UNDERSTAND YOUR FEEDBACK?

Emailed the marker Went to my tutor's office during office hours Booked a session to work through feedback Teams meeting with tutor Talk to tutor after class Attend a drop in session See my academic tutor Talk to my peers Speak to a subject specialist in the library

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FEEDBACK STORIES

I once received feedback that was extremely detailed about my structure and approach. This feedback helped me improve my writing style immensely and has informed my approaches to other assignments. Do read your feedback in detail, whether it is positive or constructive!

My best bit of feedback I have got was on a question paper I submitted. The feedback was written on my answer sheet and showed me, exactly, where I went wrong in my calculations. As well as the feedback on my answer sheet I was given an individual document detailing where I went well and where I needed to improve. This allowed me to fix my errors and see what I needed to further work on for next time.

My favourite piece of feedback was for a module in my first year, it was by way of a voice note on an individual piece of work, this voice note ran through good points I had made and some positive feedback and then moved on to areas of improvement, not just for this piece of work, but improvements I can make across all modules.

Last term, I was feeling very stressed and sad about my performance on my assignments.

Then I received feedback that changed the perspective that I had on my results. The professor wrote that he has seen my progress and I have improved a lot and I shouldn't be worried, so yeah it helped me a lot.

One piece of feedback I received was that the marker gave 2-3 questions as directions for me to think about, instead of directly laying down the answer for me. It is particularly helpful for guiding me to the right direction.

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FEEDBACK STORIES The best bit of feedback I ever received was one that gave good advice with clear examples. I also particularly liked the tone as the marker was positive and understanding of how much effort actually goes into an assignment.

Many markers don't appreciate the stress and effort that goes into assignments and jump straight into what needs improving without acknowledging strengths.

I received general feedback with one document given to everyone, summarising the classes overall feedback. I didn’t find this useful because useful feedback to me is specific and personal. Through good points I had made and some positive feedback and then moved on to areas of improvement, not just for this piece of work, but improvements I can make across all modules.

I had a reflective writing assignment on public health and nutrition so I wrote about a three day food diary I did, after it was assessed I got feedback on my work, on how my reflective writing was structured, my use of English and my references. I learnt from my mistakes based on the feedback I got, I had another reflective writing assignment I did really well on because I put to use the feedback got from my first course work.

The most useful feedback I have received was a relatively recent one for an essay. Overall, it gave me a very strong feeling that the marker spent a considerable amount of time reviewing my work, really understood what I was trying to say, and genuinely wanted me to improve.

Especially as a postgraduate student, I liked that there were detailed in-text comments which really helped me improve my writing. Another useful aspect was the specific, positive comments that were quite balanced with the negatives, which were delivered in a gentle tone.

My favourite feedback was given in a module where following the return of our formative essays with feedback, our lecturer created a drop in session where we could formulate an essay plan for the summative essay, building off of the feedback and discuss it with them. I found this particularly useful as it was not only verbal discussion of the feedback from the previous assessed essay, but also a discussion about the plan moving forward building off the feedback.

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FEEDBACK STORIES Always remember to read the feedback and if you don’t understand something be brave enough to talk to the marker. Once I got a really low score on my paper, I was so sad to the point that I didn't even want to read my feedback. But then I realised the most important processes is to learn from mistakes. I emailed the marker and we discussed my paper which was very helpful and benefited me in the future. So, cherish all your negative and positive feedback.

There was a time where I received feedback and I thought the feedback that I received was unjustified and thus thought my mark was also unjustified. I was able to contact my lecturer and they went through the feedback they gave me with me and corresponded it to my work and the brief they provided me with me which helped me gain a better understanding of the feedback that was given to me.

I once received a distinction grade in one of my essays. The feedback was super positive and full of praise, but there were some critical remarks as well. The comments pointed out areas in my paper that could have been improved through things like additional background or less information. This was very helpful and as a result, I am in the process of getting the paper published.

I used formative feedback that I got for my methods and results draft for my final year dissertation to help me to improve these specific sections before submitting them in the final submission as well as to help me to improve my writing style for the dissertation as a whole. I would like to say to other students that 'if you are ever given the option to submit a draft to get some sort of feedback before submitting the final piece, then do – it can really help with your motivation to complete the final assignment to your best ability as it lets you know whether you are on the right tracks whilst you have still got time to do something about it!'

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GLOSSARY OF KEY FEEDBACK TERMS Critical Analysis –critical analysis involves evaluating ideas, questioning assumptions, methodology and findings. By being critical, you can explore the validity of arguments, focusing on why the argument was put forward, it’s strengths and weaknesses.

Conversely, descriptive work just reports what others have said, or what you can see e.g. the number of beans increases over time, with no explanation as to why this might be.

Structure / Flow needs improving –any written piece of work needs to be organised in a logical and coherent format. If a marker has suggested your flow needs improving, it suggests that you jump around from point to point, that the order of your points could be more logical. It might be the case that you cover too many points in one paragraph which you don’t explore, and even pick up again later on in your writing. It’s a good idea to look through your finished piece of work and note down one word which represents what each paragraph is about, then look at the order of these words and think about whether this is the best order to present these themes.

Good Analysis –this suggests you made a good attempt to explore what the literature and/or data was telling you. Good is often used to undergraduate work worthy of a 2ii or a pass at postgraduate level. To achieve very good or excellent, the analysis would need to be deeper, this would involve considering the limitations of the information available, looking in more detail at what could be said about the information provided, or offering a range of interpretations.

Lacks Depth –comments such as this are often context specific. A lack of depth might signify too few sources of information were used to produce the work. Alternatively, whilst you might have provided an explanation of something, it wasn’t detailed enough, greater consideration of why this is what you think is required, consideration of the nuances rather than a simple explanation is required. Think about what factors might be relevant to use in your explanation, did you consider all the relevant issues?

Well explained vs detailed explanation needed –well explained work means that you did more than say “this happened because of this”. Detailed explanations are clear, the start from simple ideas and build up to something which is both comprehensive and more elaborate, considering all of the relevant factors. A lack of a detailed explanation suggest insufficient depth was provided (see above).

Evaluation–this asks you to make a judgement about something, for which you should provide some evidence (either data or literature) for your judgement. As you evaluate something, you should pros and cons, and likelihood of your judgement being true.

Rubric vs criteria assessment criteria tell you what the marker is looking for e.g. evidence of wider reading. The rubric breaks down the assessment criteria into the grade categories e.g. first, 2i etc.

Reference vs cite –when you refer to a source in the text of your work, you are citing it. If you copy out a little bit of the source and put it in inverted commas, you are quoting it. At the end of your work, you will reference all the sources/references that you’ve used.

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