Formative feedback: use within law programmes

UKCLE PDF project

Project leaders: John Hodgson, Nottingham Trent University (e-mail: john.hodgson@ntu.ac.uk) and Vera Bermingham, Kingston University (e-mail: V.Bermingham@kingston.ac.uk)
Project summary: an examination of the use of formative feedback within law programmes
Completion date: October 2004
UKCLE funding: £4,649

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The aim of the research was to explore the range of feedback techniques and practices used within law programmes. More specifically it sought to explore student perceptions and use of feedback and law teachers’ perceptions of their role in providing useful feedback that would impact on student learning.

Download a copy of the final report from the project, Feedback on assessment: can a better student experience of feedback be achieved by working smarter rather than working harder?” at the bottom of the page (RTF file, 40 pages, 226 KB).

The project aimed to explore the commonly held assumptions that:

• students are dissatisfied with the feedback they receive on their coursework
• students are unclear as to the assessment criteria against which they are being judged
• students do not value feedback or use feedback opportunities effectively

The research involved law teachers and law students at two institutions; Kingston University and Nottingham Trent University. Using questionnaires with staff and students it was possible to make qualitative judgements about the effectiveness of current assessment and feedback systems.

Findings

1. There appear to be limited opportunities for formative feedback at undergraduate level. Where such opportunities are provided, students are found not to submit work for formative feedback purposes and submit work for marking and feedback only when it carries credit weighting.
2. The student responses also show there is inconsistency in the quality and timeliness of feedback. Some students reported that the feedback they received did not meet their expectations. “Helping me improve” is what students cite most often as a reason for receiving feedback, but is the function of feedback with which they are least satisfied in practice.
3. Academic staff take feedback seriously. In a staff seminar some Kingston staff indicated that they spent up to 40 minutes marking and providing feedback on each script (this echoes what was found in the assessment and feedback section of the Playing safe report).
4. From a staff perspective, there is concern that students fail to act upon feedback, sometimes to the extent of not collecting their marked work.

Student perceptions of feedback

There was a perceived need for more detailed feedback, with a significant number of students mentioning this. Quite a number of LLB students commented that staff could seem to be too busy, or unwilling, to provide additional feedback support.

• “[I] frequently get ‘good’ written next to work but very hardly is there an explanation as to why the work is good.” (Nottingham Trent, Level three)
• “The feedback has not been as fully comprehensive as thought. Often remarks are too generic and not specific enough to be of real assistance.” (Kingston Level one)
• “I find it hard to approach lecturers, they are often too busy and unavailable.” (Kingston level two)

Staff perceptions of feedback

• staff believe that students take feedback seriously
• all staff considered that provision of feedback was a very or quite important part of the tutor’s role, with no marked differences in the groups
• virtually all staff considered that provision of individual feedback assisted students to improve, although Kingston staff felt this less strongly
• most staff considered provision of individual feedback to be an effective use of staff time, although Nottingham staff felt this less strongly
• there is evidence that staff feel the current emphasis on feedback is mainly to comply with internal and Quality Assurance Agency procedures

Further areas for research

During the course of the research it became clear that there were three areas needing further consideration:

1. The extent to which students recognised the existence of a range of feedback opportunities going beyond the obvious comments on marked work.
2. The extent to which staff make explicit their expectations on feedback and how students are to use it.
3. Which forms of feedback are most likely to be effective, both in the sense that students will make effective use of them, and in the sense that they impose reasonable burdens on staff.

Alison Bone will consider these findings in the course of her research into the impact of formative assessment on student learning.

Outcomes

• Feedback on assessment: can a better student experience of feedback be achieved by working smarter rather than working harder? – final report (RTF file, 40 pages, 226 KB). Project findings were presented at LILI 2005.

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Last Modified: 4 June 2010