Application of feedback principles to marking proformas increases student efficacy, perceived utility of feedback and likelihood of use

Abstract

Pedagogical and psychological literature identifies numerous factors contributing to feedback effectiveness, including type, frequency and specificity (e.g. Gibbs & Simpson, 2004). Despite this wealth of research, feedback practice at universities is often reported as problematic or poor by students (National Student Survey; Williams & Kane, 2008, 2009) despite lecturers perceiving their feedback as useful (Carless, 2006; Maclellan, 2001). The present research employed a quantitative counterbalanced experimental design to compare the perceived utility of a pedagogically informed feedback proforma, designed to provide detailed, timely and constructive feedback to standard practice. Results suggest that the presentation of feedback is important to students; more functional and comprehensible feedback increases the likelihood of students using the feedback provided, and can reduce likely marking time per script without compromising perceived feedback quality. Further to this, post-submission feedback proformas increase students’ confidence in their ability to complete the assignment when provided alongside the assignment title. In summary, the research supports the application of principles of feedback in the provision of summative feedback to enhance students’ likelihood of use, perceived value of the feedback received, and confidence.