Effective Feedback is…

• Delivered in an appropriate setting
• Focussed on performance - not the individual
• Clear, specific, and based on observed performance
• Using neutral, non-judgemental language
• Descriptive rather than evaluative
• Emphasising positive aspects

From Mandhane et al. (2015)

Students need to receive feedback within 15 working days, whilst the assessment task is still fresh in their mind. Students also need sufficient time to reflect upon and process feedback before embarking on their next assessment.

Winstone and Nash (2016) encourage lecturers to view feedback as a process of dialogue with their students. Therefore, sufficient time should be allowed between giving feedback and the next assessment task for dialogue to take place.

Additionally, feedback may also be given when students are engaged in instructional activities - such as during lab sessions or in-class exercises. In such situations, feedback can be given which either affirms a student's learning - or it may be a corrective intervention which immediately re-aligns the learning process.

Feedback is useful if it provides students with clear and sufficient guidance on how to do better the next time. However, this is only effective when the next assessment is sufficiently similar to allow students to demonstrate that they have reflected on their feedback and improved their performance as a result. Programme-level assessment can ensure that students have sufficient opportunity to translate feedback into better performance.

Poulos and Mahony (2008) found that students see feedback more useful when it is personalised rather than simply generic feedback provided to a class/cohort of students.

Pitt and Norton (2017) and Ferguson (2011) found students expect to receive both positive feedback, to reinforce their areas of strength, as well as the areas in which they can improve.

Feedback is only effective if students engage with it! Therefore, feedback needs to be accessible in its form, language, and delivery mode. Although the EMA project (Electronic Management of Assessment) promotes the practice of online feedback, less formal modes of feedback which may be effective (and which may be better suited to formative assessment tasks) include:

• In lectures, after asking students to answer questions, give their views, etc. consider combining this with the use of an electronic voting system.
• In tutorials, when students contribute to the discussion.
• Through group reflection on feedback received on a formative assessment.
• By email or on a discussion board on Blackboard - feedback given to individual students can be collated into a FAQ page on Blackboard to make feedback more efficient. This page could appear on subsequent modules if the feedback remains relevant.
• In informal gatherings of tutors with students, or just between students.
• Through social media - Twitter, Facebook, etc