Module and Programme Design

Developing Feedback Approaches 

Students need to know how well they are doing on placement or on campus-based WIL opportunities. As noted earlier there are two broad approaches to feedback: a) Staff/practitioners giving feedback to students (assessment for learning) and b) student’s ability to evaluate their own learning (assessment as learning). Whereas both are important, there is growing movement to empower students in this process over time and support them in their ability to try to judge their own performance.

Staff/practitioners giving feedback to student

As in other feedback opportunities, feedback is most effective when it ‘goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly (specific and personalized); timely; ongoing; and consistent’ (Wiggins, 2012). Feedback should be constructive and this animated resource gives advice on How to Give Constructive and Actionable Feedback to Students: Staff to Students. Opportunities for feedback need to be built in early on the placement, using the criteria/competencies that have been sent out on the placement documentation. Feedback is best when considered a dialogue, a two way conversation, and when students’ emotional responses to feedback are acknowledged and discussed. 

Student’s ability to evaluate their own learning

The ability of students to evaluate their own performance is a key skill in any future employment. This should be supported as much as possible on placement. For example, giving students the opportunity to self-assess, before staff feedback, can support discussion around differences in perception of performance. Module designers and policy makers need to facilitate empowerment, such as, use of learning contracts/negotiated learning plans and encouraging students to request specific feedback. See some ideas on empowering students in feedback in our video (from 6:01) on Empowering Students in the Assessment and Feedback of Work-Integrated Learning Key Stakeholder Views. Students need time to develop their feedback literacy and may not initially feel ready to engage in this approach.