Engaging learners with digital feedback: how choice of digital presentation may influence how learne Home : Annual Conference 2017

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Tue, Sep 5 2017, 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Authors: Simon Starr

Room: Mountford Hall (G)

Theme: Wildcard

Type: 20-minute session

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Description

This session focusses on how the presentation of digital feedback may influence learners’ engagement with their feedback. This is both relevant and timely in the context of growing provision of digital feedback on written coursework in UK Higher Education (see for example Walker et al, 2016). At the same time, improving the quality of feedback has become an increasing focus, driven in part by the National Student Survey and the recent introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Provision of feedback using Turnitin GradeMark in Canterbury Christ Church University has helped to improve feedback turnaround times and our learners value the flexibility of receiving feedback online. However, there has been little investigation of pedagogic impact, specifically in encouraging and supporting learners’ academic development. There is some evidence of such impact in the literature. For example, Case (2007) and Denton et al (2008) each found that use of digital feedback led to enhanced understanding amongst learners of how to improve their work in the future, with Case (2007) also finding learners were more motivated to improve as a result. However, there is little investigation of the reasons for such impact. One reason may be that some ways in which digital feedback can be presented are particularly engaging for learners.

To investigate this, learners were interviewed to explore their experiences of various ways their digital feedback was presented. It was found that choice of presentation influenced both learners’ motivation and ability to engage with their feedback for their academic development (see Starr, 2016 for full report). As these influences were found to be mainly pedagogic – rather than technical – in nature, the findings are relevant to use of other digital feedback tools providing similar presentations to Turnitin GradeMark.

The session will comprise a 15 minute presentation on the research, with an emphasis on the findings and their implications for practice, followed by questions. Participants will benefit from knowledge of how certain ways of presenting digital feedback may positively or negatively influence their learners’ engagement. Questions, applicable to a range of digital feedback tools, will be offered to guide action research into markers’ own practice.

REFERENCES:

Case, S. (2007) ‘Reconfiguring and realigning the assessment feedback processes for an undergraduate criminology degree’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 32(3): pp. 285-299

Denton, P., Madden, J., Roberts, M. & Rowe, P. (2008) ‘Students’ response to traditional and computer-assisted formative feedback: A comparative case study’, British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(3): pp. 486–500

Starr, S. (2016) An exploratory investigation into influences of form of digital feedback on learners’ engagement with their feedback. M.Sc. disseration, University of Edinburgh. http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/15171/. Accessed: 13 Mar 2017

Walker, R., Voce, J., Swift, E., Ahmed, J., Jenkins, M & Vincent, P. (2016) 2016 Survey of Technology Enhanced Learning for higher education in the UK. Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association. https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/-/media/files/publications/surveys/tel%20survey%202016_nov16.ashx?la=en. Accessed: 13 Mar 2017

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