Making Feedback more Sustainable
Effective feedback is widely acknowledged as one of the ‘most powerful influences on student achievement’ (Hattie and Timperley, 2007). The introduction of the TEF has, in turn, established feedback as a core quality indicator for undergraduate degree programmes in the UK. However, the shift towards mass higher education in the last 20 years together with the accompanying increase in student numbers and marking loads have meant that lecturers report having less time to produce feedback (Hounsell, 2003; Li and De Luca, 2014; Sansavior, 2021). This raises the key question of “how can we ensure that feedback to our students works well for them but is also manageable for us?” Drawing on practical examples in a range of subject areas and universities, Professor Dai Hounsell’s online seminar discusses innovative approaches to making feedback more sustainable with a focus on ways of enabling students (undergraduate and postgraduate) to get, give and use feedback to enhance the quality of their learning.
About Professor Dai Hounsell
Dai Hounsell is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at the University of Edinburgh, where he was founding Director of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment and University Vice-Principal with responsibility for enhancing teaching and learning and assessment. He has published widely on sustainable and dialogic approaches to assessment and feedback. Although now formally retired, he continues to teach, research, talk and advise on high-quality university learning, feedback and assessment in national and international contexts.
This seminar is the second in the new speaker series 'Strategic Themes in Assessment and Feedback' which brings leading researchers in assessment and feedback into dialogue with key themes in the higher educational landscape including student feedback literacy, sustainable assessment and feedback systems and the Awarding Gap. The series runs over the academic year 2021-2022 and is supported by Dr Graeme Pedlingham, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Student Experience.
The inaugural seminar 'Supporting the development of students' feedback literacy' was held on October 13, 1-2 and led by Professor David Carless, University of Hong Kong.
Organised by: Dr Eva Sansavior, Academic Developer for the School of Media, Arts and Humanities.