Generating dialogue in assessment feedback: exploring the use of interactive cover sheets

Abstract

Theoretical approaches to understanding student engagement with assessment and feedback are increasingly emphasising the importance of dialogue in recognition that learning tacit knowledge is an active, shared process. This paper evaluates an experimental approach to providing feedback which was designed to create a dialogue between tutor and student without additional work for staff. Tutors on an outdoor studies degree attempted to set up a dialogue with students by providing written feedback in response to students' questions about their work, requested on their assignment cover sheets. Data were collected in the form of their feedback questions, interviews with students and a focus group of staff. The data indicate that the approach encouraged students to think about their writing but that students' limited understanding of staff expectations and standards limits their ability to initiate a meaningful dialogue with their tutors. More positively, the research suggests that if staff capitalise on and develop existing peer discussion of assessment, it may provide an important foundation for the greater challenge of entering into a dialogue with academic staff.

Making Sense of Assessment Feedback in Higher Education

“…There are numerous examples of student inability to capitalize on feedback opportunities by failing to make use of additional feedback offered (Bloxham & Campbell, 2010;Burke, 2009;Fisher et al, 2011;Handley & Cox, 2007). Even when "good" feedback has been given, the gap between receiving and acting on feedback can be wide given the complexity of how students make sense of, use, and give feedback (Taras, 2003).…”

“…The majority of students are drawn from specific subject areas reflecting the focus of some of the larger funded projects: health (15.2%), education (12.8%), business (9.5%), sciences (8.6%), psychology (5.0%), information and communication technology (ICT; 5.0%), and engineering (4.3%). Bennett's (2011) observation that "formative assessment would be more profitably conceptualised and instantiated within specific domains" (p. 20) is pertinent here, as although studies are drawn from specific subject domains, the importance of the domain and relevance of specific types of feedback are often not developed and the context not sufficiently explained (Bloxham & Campbell, 2010).…”

“…The value of peer assessment as an element of holistic assessment design has been articulated by Nicol and MacFarlane Dick (2006) and others Price, Handley, Millar, & O' Donovan, 2010). However, for some, peer assessment is seen as a way of compensating for heavy lecturer workloads by offloading some of the burden of assessment to students; however, this is far from an easy option and the planning and organization required to provide peer assessments has to be balanced against students' perceived benefits (Bloxham & Campbell, 2010;Friedman, Cox, & Maher, 2008).…”

“…Weaver (2006) points to students' levels of intellectual maturity and previous experiences as factors affecting receptivity to feedback. Students bring with them their own schema or rules about how to write and may only be aware of the gaps associated with these rules (Bloxham & Campbell, 2010). Fritz and Morris (2000) argued that "prior knowledge plays a major role in the perceptions and responses that .…”

Improving marking reliability of scientific writing with the Developing Understanding of Assessment for Learning programme

“…Rust, Price, and O'Donovan 2003;Price 2005;Harris and James 2006;Bloxham and Campbell 2010) that tacit knowledge of assessment criteria and standards can be shared. However, this does not undermine suggestions for the role that communities of practice can play in the development of tacit knowledge to assist in the marking process.…”