Tutor Feedback Research Articles

What Postgraduates Appreciate in Online Tutor Feedback on Academic Writing

Improving postgraduate student writing in English is an ongoing concern in the increasingly internationalised UK Higher Education context. Although the importance of feedback for developing academic writing skills is well-established (Hyland and Hyland 2006), there is still much debate about the components of effective feedback. In response to the call for research investigating teachers’ real-world practices in giving feedback in specific contexts (Lee 2014 and 2012), this article presents an initiative to develop students’ abilities to tackle written postgraduate writing (essays and dissertations) through collaborative on-line academic writing courses. The Grounded Theory-inspired study explores student perceptions of the effectiveness of online formative feedback on postgraduate academic writing in order to identify best practices which can contribute to developing skills in providing feedback. The study analyses tutor feedback on student texts and student responses to feedback. We applied categories which emerged from this data and concluded that the students we investigated had responded most positively when a combination of confidence-developing feedback practices were employed. These included both principled corrective language feedback and positive, personalised feedback on academic conventions and practices. This collaboration between academic writing and content specialists continues to provide further opportunities for embedding practices that encourage the development of academic writing skills on one year postgraduate programmes at the University of Edinburgh.

Investigating the learning transfer of genre features and conceptual knowledge from an academic literacy course to business studies: Exploring the potential of dynamic assessment

Academic literacy courses aim to enable higher education students to participate in their chosen academic fields as fully as possible. However, the extent to which these students transfer the academic skills taught in these courses to their chosen disciplines is still under-researched. This article reports on a study that investigated the potential of dynamic assessment (an assessment approach that blends instruction into assessment) in the transfer of genre features and conceptual knowledge among undergraduate business studies students in a UK public university. The data includes three students’ written assignments (N = nine), interviews (N = three) and business studies tutor (N = three) feedback. Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural theory of learning and a genre theory based on Systemic Functional Linguistics, the data were analysed. The findings suggest that dynamic assessment may contribute to the transfer of genre features and conceptual knowledge to a new assessment context. Implications of this for academic literacy instruction and assessment design are presented.

Voices from the East and West: congruence on the primary purpose of tutor feedback in higher education

While feedback in education is important, formative feedback that leads to improvement in students’ learning outcomes and emotional disposition is vital. This argument has been made repeatedly in the Western literature, both by researchers and by students participating in their research in higher education. This paper presents both affective and non-affective improvement as the most frequently occurring theme identified in a mixed-methods study conducted at a National Key University in mainland China, which investigated 232 Chinese students’ experiences and expectations of feedback from their Chinese tutors. This paper, thus, concludes that mainland Chinese university students and Western researchers and students likely agree on the primary function of tutor feedback. The desire for tutor feedback to also or chiefly play a formative role appears not to be a geographically or culturally specific phenomenon.

Evaluasi Proses Pemberian Feedback di Tutorial Problem-Based Learning di Fakultas Kedokteran

Background: Feedback constitutes one of the important components in student Since feedback is not solely limited to student assignments, it can also be given during student learning, including tutorials. Therefore, the institution should pay particular attention to the process of feedback provision one of which is through evaluations on the process of providing feedback in tutorials. This study aimed to evaluate the process of providing feedback on the Problem-Based Learning tutorials in the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara.Method: This study used mixed methods with a quantitative method performed first, followed by a qualitative method with a phenomenology approach. The subjects were the undergraduate medical students of the class of 2012 and tutors of the Problem-Based Learning tutorials. The quantitative data analysis was done by the descriptive analysis while the qualitative data analysis was done through verbatim analysis, coding, categorization and conclusion.Results: The students had received feedback but not routinely. Both the students and the tutors had perceived that feedback was important and gave them many benefits. In practice, feedback was given on the basis of tutors’ direct observation results. Action ;plan was often given but rarely involved discussion. Self-assessment/reflection was also not a matter of routine and the tutors did not know that it was part of the feedback. The contents of feedback were more often in the form of general comments. Feedback was often communicated in one direction. The students’ response to feedback varied. In giving and receiving feedback, the students, the tutors, the tutorial activities and the content of the feedback itself could influence one another. The students had preferences so feedback can be more easily accepted and they focused on the structural aspects of feedback (the frequency of giving feedback, the detail and spesific feedback, two way communication in giving feedback and the feedback target). Tutors expected more trainings in giving feedback provided by institution to tutors and students.Conclusion: Despite its valuable benefits, tutorial feedback in the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara,is still not in accordance with the principle of providing feedback and many factors have affected this condition.

The introduction and refinement of the assessment of digitally recorded audio presentations

This case study critically evaluates benefits and challenges of a form of assessment included in a final year undergraduate Religious Studies Open University module, which combines a written essay task with a digital audio recording of a short oral presentation. Based on the analysis of student and tutor feedback and sample assignments, this study critically examines how teaching and learning practices linked to this novel form of assessment have been iteratively developed in light of the project findings over a period of two years. It concludes that while this form of assessment poses a number of challenges, it can create valuable opportunities for the development of transferable twenty-first-century graduate employability skills as well as deep, effective learning experiences, particularly – though not exclusively – in distance learning settings.

Acceptability of a blended learning model that improves student readiness for practical skill learning: A mixed-methods study

Background: The most effective method for teaching practical skills to healthcare professional students is unclear. Traditional teaching models perpetuate a passive learning pedagogy, whilst variation between tutors reduces target clarity. The flipped classroom model provides opportunities for enhancing student engagement. In a flipped classroom, skill explanation and demonstration is delivered online prior to a face-to-face session. The ideal model should generate an incentive for engagement while avoiding content overload. The aim of this study was to evaluate a flipped classroom teaching method that created an imperative for learner engagement among third-year physiotherapy students. Methods: The new teaching method required students to view high production-quality preparatory material and complete unsupervised peer practice as prerequisites for receiving tutor feedback. Two skills classes were taught with the new method. Evaluation data was collected using an anonymous online survey, and responses were analysed to identify key themes. Year-on-year delivery costs were modelled by manipulating key variables, such as class size and video update schedule. Results: The survey was delivered to 72 students: 75% responded after the first class, 32% after the second class. Respondents identified improved readiness for and receptiveness to feedback, and increased control over their learning. Emergent themes included a power shift towards the student, enhanced skill development and improved efficiency. Using parameters relevant for our department, video production costs were recouped after 3 years.

Evaluating medical student engagement during virtual patient simulations: a sequential, mixed methods study.

BackgroundStudent engagement is an important domain for medical education, however, it is difficult to quantify. The goal of this study was to investigate the utility of virtual patient simulations (VPS) for increasing medical student engagement. Our aims were specifically to investigate how and to what extent the VPS foster student engagement. This study took place at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA), in the USA.MethodsFirst year medical students (n = 108) worked in teams to complete a series of four in-class virtual patient case studies. Student engagement was measured, defined as flow, interest, and relevance. These dimensions were measured using four data collection instruments: researcher observations, classroom photographs, tutor feedback, and an electronic exit survey. Qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.ResultsTriangulation of findings between the four data sources indicate that VPS foster engagement in three facets:Flow. In general, students enjoyed the activities, and were absorbed in the task at hand.Interest. Students demonstrated interest in the activities, as evidenced by enjoyment, active discussion, and humor. Students remarked upon elements that caused cognitive dissonance: excessive text and classroom noise generated by multi-media and peer conversations.Relevance. VPS were relevant, in terms of situational clinical practice, exam preparation, and obtaining concrete feedback on clinical decisions.ConclusionsResearchers successfully introduced a new learning platform into the medical school curriculum. The data collected during this study were also used to improve new learning modules and techniques associated with implementing them in the classroom. Results of this study assert that virtual patient simulations foster engagement in terms of flow, relevance, and interest.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0530-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Engaging students with self-assessment and tutor feedback to improve performance and support assessment capacity

Assessment is one of the most important elements of student life and significantly shapes their learning. Consequently, tutors need to ensure that student awareness regarding assessment is promoted. Students should get the opportunity to practise assessing work and receive tutor feedback so that they might improve on both the work and their assessment of it. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how student engagement with criteria, exemplars, self-assessment, and feedback influenced students’ performance, their assessment capacity, and also how students experienced the process. A mixed methods approach was used. Students’ performance and assessments were established using a rubric that included 5 criteria each evaluated using 5 point likert scale linked to descriptors. A thematic analysis of the focus group resulted in two themes. The findings show that overall students’ performance in the assignment significantly improved between draft and final submissions. Students’ assessment of their work significantly differed to the tutor’s on some criteria at both submissions but in opposite directions on one criterion between both submissions. The focus group found that the rubric guided students to produce their draft while tutor feedback guided them to improve on it. However, these findings require further investigation. The following recommendations ensue from the research and should assist student development concerning assessment. Tutors should give students an opportunity to assess work and also see tutor’s assessment of that work using the same criteria. Also, tutors should provide constructive feedback during an assignment.

Engaging Students with Self-Assessment and Tutor Feedback to Improve Performance and Support Assessment Capacity.

Assessment is one of the most important elements of student life and significantly shapes their learning. Consequently, tutors need to ensure that student awareness regarding assessment is promoted. Students should get the opportunity to practise assessing work and receive tutor feedback so that they might improve on both the work and their assessment of it. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how student engagement with criteria, exemplars, self-assessment, and feedback influenced students’ performance, their assessment capacity, and also how students experienced the process. A mixed methods approach was used. Students’ performance and assessments were established using a rubric that included 5 criteria each evaluated using 5 point likert scale linked to descriptors. A thematic analysis of the focus group resulted in two themes. The findings show that overall students’ performance in the assignment significantly improved between draft and final submissions. Students’ assessment of their work significantly differed to the tutor’s on some criteria at both submissions but in opposite directions on one criterion between both submissions. The focus group found that the rubric guided students to produce their draft while tutor feedback guided them to improve on it. However, these findings require further investigation. The following recommendations ensue from the research and should assist student development concerning assessment. Tutors should give students an opportunity to assess work and also see tutor’s assessment of that work using the same criteria. Also, tutors should provide constructive feedback during an assignment.

Narratives as a vehicle for mentor and tutor knowledge during feedback in initial teacher education

This paper argues that the central role of narratives in forming professional knowledge and identity in initial teacher education (ITE) has been overlooked in much recent research into feedback processes in ITE. The paper reviews a broad sample of recent research into mentor and tutor feedback in ITE and identifies that the role of narrating in feedback is either ignored or downplayed. The paper then uses Wertsch’s work on the co-authoring role of narratives in the ‘effort after meaning’ to suggest that narratives play a powerful and central role in shaping student teachers’ understanding of practice and what they learn from their experiences. Transcript data from actual feedback events is used to analyse the process of co-constructing narrations and role of co-constructed narratives in the feedback process.

Self-regulation of learning and preference for written versus audio-recorded feedback by distance education students

Teacher feedback is critically related to student learning. This study sought to determine the relationships between distance education (DE) student level of self-regulated learning (SRL) and their preference for audio-recorded vs. written feedback from tutors. DE students (n = 102) enrolled in a first-year university course completed an online questionnaire that assessed eight dimensions of SRL as well as a personal evaluation of written vs. audio-recorded tutor feedback that was provided during the academic study period. In general, the participating DE students expressed preference for written over audio-recorded feedback. However, complex patterns of relationships emerged between dimensions of SRL and evaluation of written vs. audio-recorded feedback. For example, DE students who were most likely to listen to audio-recorded feedback appreciated peer interaction and personal challenges more than students who preferred written feedback. In DE learning environments, a variety of feedback formats may best meet the needs of all students, although exposure to various technologies may facilitate SRL.

Evaluación del tutor en la aplicación de la estrategia de aprendizaje basado en problemas en las asignaturas de Integración Básico Clínica I y II

RationaleProblem Based Learning “PBL” is an instructional strategy that was first used in McMaster University in 1969, and now widely used in medical education. The focus of the strategy is to work with real-patient cases in small groups with facilitator assistance during the whole process. ObjectiveTo assess the role of the tutor in PBL sessions by medical students in two mandatory courses (Basic Clinical Integration I and II) by the application of a 25-item questionnaire proposed by Martínez-González et al. MethodA cross-sectional, descriptive and retrospective study was performed. A 25-item Likert type scale questionnaire was applied to the students from both courses (IBC-I and II) after being working with the tutor for more than a six-month period. Four IBC-I and three IBC-II classes were included in this study. Response frequencies, mean, standard error, and questionnaire validity (Crombach's alpha) were obtained for each application. ResultsThe total sample was 6,862 questionnaires (83% from each class), with a Cronbach's α value of 0.9 for each class application. The lower values were for “The tutor functions as a guide” and “Not committed with the group functioning”, which were recurrent findings. ConclusionPBL is the proposed learning strategy for IBC-I and IBC-II, and the role of the tutor is the support for the adequate functioning of the small groups. As there is a tendency for classical-teaching among tutors, their role in guidance should be reinforced. A modification in the PBL-workshops and tutor feedback is advised.

Tutorial computer-assisted language learning

‘Sometimes maligned for its allegedly behaviorist connotations but critical for success in many fields from music to sport to mathematics and language learning, practice is undergoing something of a revival in the applied linguistics literature’ (Long & Richards 2007, p. xi). This research timeline provides a systematic overview of the contributions of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) to the role, nature, and development of individual practice in language learning. We focus on written language practice in Tutorial CALL, corrective feedback and language awareness-raising in Intelligent CALL (ICALL), and individualization of the learning process through tailoring of learning sequences and contingent guidance.

Effects of training peer tutors in content knowledge versus tutoring skills on giving feedback to help tutees’ complex tasks

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of training tutors in content knowledge of a particular domain versus training them in tutoring skills of pedagogical knowledge when tutoring on a complex tutee task. Forty-seven tutor–tutee pairs of fourth-year secondary school students were created and assigned to one of the two treatments. Twenty-two tutors received training in content knowledge and the other twenty-five tutors in tutoring skills. Tutors formulated written feedback immediately after the training. Tutees first interpreted the tutor feedback and then used it to revise their research questions. The results showed that tutors trained in tutoring skills formulated more effective feedback than tutors trained in content knowledge. In addition, tutees helped by tutoring-skills tutors found the feedback more motivating than those helped by content-knowledge tutors. However, no differences were found in tutee performance on revision. The findings are discussed in terms of the set-up of this study and implications for improving the effectiveness of peer tutoring.

Design principles for Massive Online Courses

A new set of ‘common first year’ teacher education units has been developed at an Australian university. This paper discusses the further development of these units for large enrolment online degree programs. A needs analysis was performed and contemporary best practice consulted to develop a set of design principles that guided the redevelopment. The implementation of the design principles is discussed, and a formative evaluation of the conduct of the revised units is reported. Student and tutor feedback supported the new unit designs, but also identified some areas for improvement.

“Feedback was very helpful”: the benefits of feedback on drafts for students learning.

This article reports on a longitudinal study with students to explore the benefits for student learning from a feedback strategy providing feedback on drafts in a first year module. Initial student evaluation, from fifty first year Religious Studies students, is explored for the short-term benefits from this approach, and reflective evaluations from forty second year students are used to consider the longer-term impact of such feedback. The research was based around Shute’s 2008 advice that feedback was ‘useful’ if it provided students with ‘motive, opportunity and means.’ Students were motivated to act on feedback as they had the opportunity to apply their development in the next task. The detail provided in feedback provided them with the means to develop the necessary skills, and the motivation came from the opportunity to resubmit all revised tasks for summative assessment. The aim was to help students learn how to act on feedback through the opportunity to improve their work through corrective and suggesti ve feedback. Students found the opportunity to correct minor errors the most useful aspect of this approach, followed by the benefit of learning how to use tutor feedback, and the insights gained from seeing exemplars from past student work. Keywords: assessment; drafts; exemplars; feedback; formative; reiterative.

Tutor feedback in higher education: An exploration of the psychological impact

Tutor feedback in higher education: An exploration of the psychological impact

A comparison of peer and tutor feedback

We report on a study comparing peer feedback with feedback written by tutors on a large, undergraduate software engineering programming class. Feedback generated by peers is generally held to be of lower quality to feedback from experienced tutors, and this study sought to explore the extent and nature of this difference. We looked at how seriously peers undertook the reviewing task, differences in the level of detail in feedback comments and differences with respect to tone (whether comments were positive, negative or neutral, offered advice or addressed the author personally). Peer feedback was also compared by academic standing, and by gender. We found that, while tutors wrote longer comments than peers and gave more specific feedback, in other important respects (such as offering advice) the differences were not significant.

Can student-generated test materials support learning?

This paper aims to investigate students’ perspectives on the interplay between the formative and summative functions of assessment. More specifically, it explores whether their learning can be supported by a classroom activity informed by a formative strategy (i.e., student generation of test materials) in a teacher education programme. Research methods included focus-group interviews, classroom observations, student reflective journals, and text analysis of student-generated test papers, and tutor feedback to these papers. Findings indicated that the formative strategy was generally well-received as a practice to support learning for the summative evaluation, despite concerns about the overall quality of some mock papers. Implications for building a positive link between formative and summative assessment and promoting dialogic feedback processes in wider higher education classroom contexts are discussed.

Making judgements: investigating the process of composing and receiving peer feedback

Recent studies have argued that tutor feedback is failing to support students' progression. The potential for peer feedback, i.e. feedback composed by peer assessors, to support learning has been under researched. The aim of this paper was to explore a case study of a peer assessor composing and receiving peer feedback. The paper reports a case study tracking a peer assessor through the process of grading and composing peer comments and her reactions to receiving peer feedback. The data consist of feedback comments, reflections and a series of interviews. It was found that while the process of composing feedback comments was viewed positively, receiving comments was, on the whole, viewed negatively. The author suggests helping students to become peer assessors is a long-term process; initial peer feedback should be withheld. As students develop expertise in the subject matter and in composing feedback, comments could be exchanged.