Examining the impact of self-selected feedback mode on university learners’ experiences and perceptions of feedback value

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on an innovation of allowing higher education students to select their preferred mode of feedback. The aim was to investigate how a sample of 35 postgraduate students perceived and experienced self-selected feedback mode (audio, video or written) as part of an online research subject. Participants were invited to complete a pre-and-post occasion quantitative survey and a semi-structured interview or qualitative survey as part of a quasi-experimental case study. A MANOVA and T-tests were used to analyse the quantitative data. Thematic analyses were conducted on the qualitative data. The results showed that participants perceived their self-selected feedback mode to be significantly more valuable than their previous university feedback on measures of Affect, Feedforward, Clarity, Agency, and Diversity. The qualitative data afforded insights into participants’ justifications, beliefs and experiences relating to the feedback processes experienced. This paper raises important implications for how student choice may elevate student-centred feedback.