Feedback is valuable when it is received, understood and acted on. How students analyze, discuss and act on feedback is as important as the quality of the feedback itself( Nicol, 2010). Through the interaction students have with feedback, they come to understand how to develop their learning.
Feedback needs to be provided throughout the semester, rather than just at the end. Regular constructive feedback during the semester enables students to incorporate feedback into later assessment tasks. Ideally, plan for assessment feedback as part of the assessment design. When you tell students about the assessment requirements, include information on how and when feedback will be provided. Tell students what specific opportunities they will have to engage with and use feedback in their subsequent learning.
Constructive, timely and meaningful feedback:
� encourages students to think critically about their work and to reflect on what they need to do to improve it
� helps them see their learning in new ways and gain increased satisfaction from it � helps promote dialogue between staff and students � guides students to adapt and adjust their learning strategies � guides teachers to adapt and adjust teaching to accommodate students ' learning needs � guides students to become independent and self-reflective learners, and better critics of their own work stimulates reflection, interaction and dialogue about learning improvement � is constructive, so that students feel encouraged and motivated to improve � has consequences, so that it engages students by requiring them to attend to the feedback as part of the assessment � is efficient, so that staff can manage it effectively.
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