The feedback that students receive on their assignments has been subject to a great deal of debate in universities across the globe. Whereas academics regularly complain that students do not engage with feedback by citing uncollected coursework, students repeatedly protest about the timeliness and quality of feedback, citing illegible, overly critical and a lack of verbal feedback. In this article we report on the findings of feedback practices from a survey of 308 undergraduate students studying combined degree programmes of Politics, History and International Relations at two British universities. This article seeks to offer a clearer understanding of the feedback practices that students want and from the analysis of the research findings we offer a range of strategies for improving feedback practices.
Twitter has become an established feature of the contemporary landscape. It has been used by, among others, politicians, political parties, governments, international organisations, charities, think-tanks and individuals from academics to celebrities. Twitter has also been subject to a great deal of debate and analysis. This includes its impact on the relationship between government and citizens, a point that came to the fore in the 2011 Arab Spring when Twitter provided an important communication vehicle for popular uprising. However, less has been written on the use and impact of Twitter as a method to support learning and teaching. This article examines the use of Twitter as a way of promoting student engagement, arguing that it offers the opportunity to democratise student learning.
This article discusses the findings of a pilot study that examined the adjustment experience of first-year students to university study. Based on a sample of 51 first-year students at one UK university, the article finds that while the majority of students considered that workloads, nature of assessment, level of independent reading, and learning were broadly in line with their expectations, they were less satisfied with the support provided in terms of contact time with tutors and feedback on performance. These results thus provide a mixed picture, whereby academic workload and content are in line with students' expectations, but students do not fully comprehend what tutors want in assignments, despite knowing where to go for support.
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