tipping out the boot grit: the use of on-going feedback devices to enhance feedback dialogue

7/29/2019 Tipping out the Boot Grit: the use of on-going feedback devices to enhance feedback dialogue

1/14

Tipping out the Boot Grit: the use ofon-going feedback devices to enhance

feedback dialogue

Prof Mark Huxham, Edinburgh Napier University

Dr Jan McArthur, University of Edinburgh

Jenny Hounsell, University of Edinburgh

Jenny Scoles, University of Stirling

6th July 2011: Assessment in Higher Education 2011, University ofCumbria


2/14

Project BackgroundHEA ESCalate Developing Pedagogy and Practice and HEA UK

Centre for Biosciences funded project

Understanding feedback as:

- a dialoguebetween students and teachers

- an ongoingand multi-facetedpart of students engagement with a

course, rather than a singular process that occurs at only one point

Two feedback approaches (dialogue devices) were explored usingaction research

Factors that affect student engagement with these dialogue momentswere investigated using both qualitative and quantitative methods

Insights from these approaches then used to inform the developmentof other forms of dialogue


3/14

Two Dialogic Approaches

Boot Grit- Situated in lectures as a response to ever increasing class sizes

- Confidential opportunity for students to ask lecturer about key concepts that

remain unclear at the end of a lecture

- Lecturer responds promptly to initiate dialogue

- Resolve misunderstandings or knowledge gaps that if left unresolved couldworry away at the students learning in negative way and create blisters

like grit in a boot!

Focused Feedback- Situated in major pieces of coursework

- Opportunity for students to request feedback on particular aspects of their

work when they submit it

- Lecturers then pick up the dialogue with each student as they respond to

their requests


4/14

1. Student PriorExperiences ofAssessments

2.Preliminaryguidance

3. OngoingClarification

ofExpectations

4. Feedbackon

Performa

nce/Achievement

5.Supplementary

Support

6.Feedforward

The Guidance and Feedback Loop(Adapted from Hounsell, McCune, Hounsell & Litjens, 2008)

2.

Focused

Feedback

1. BootGrit


5/14

Boot Grit

Immediate; informal; novel; open-ended An old boot

Text-walling

2 courses; 216 requests: 90% asked very specific,

focused, topic-related questions - demonstrates a highlevel of student understanding of the purposes of the

boot grit feedback in lectures

Boot grit comments:

Half life calculation thing? Very confusing!Fixation thing

Disruptive selection how it works

Sickle cell anemia

Clines (explain more) please!


6/14

Boot Grit Cont.

Text wall comments very similar but with one notabledistinction: non-lecture related comments:

The person next to me wants a fag

My girlfriend is pregnant what do I do

Suggests familiarity and at ease with technology Irrelevant questions still allow and reinforce genuine

dialogue:

Question: not being able to eat in lecture halls

Answer: sorry but should help you stay awake...

Importance of introducing boot grit from the first lecture to

establish this form of dialogue as a natural part of the

course

- Can help establish the norms of course behaviour in

partnership with students, rather than as top down


7/14

Boot Grit cont.

Boot grit feedback was a success: students engagedwith and understood the concept

Does not generate significant volumes of new work

Integrated into vocabulary of the school

Allows students to ask silly questions whileremaining anonymous

Provides an avenue for students not confident to

speak out in large classes

Perceived as part of a more general interactive,

participative style of lectures which most also

appreciated

Students liked to get answers to their questions!


8/14

Focused Feedback Approach

Would you like feedback on any specific

aspects of this piece of work? If so please

indicate what you want feedback on at

the end of your script.

Edinburgh Napier University (n=710)

University of Edinburgh (n=460)


9/14

Focused Feedback Results

Surprising results: only 3.65% students requestedfocused feedback

Mostly procedural requests

Request examples:

The parts of the protein that determine its location within a cell. I am

still not completely sure how this works. (direct answer) 70%

Were the introduction and conclusion long enough? Did I putenough information in them or should I have expanded them more?(no answer) 70%

Misunderstanding of feedback approach by

lecturer/marker

Conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with students to

explore the low take-up


10/14

Possible reasons/barriers to uptake

1) Trust

it might draw markers attention to something they hadnt noticed before, orit might give some people an unfair advantage I guess[marker] might just

be a little bit more sympathetic to them

2) Lake Wobegon Effect

its probably ok for other people but I just um no not really ...personally for

me I dont think Id really use it but its a good thing for people who you knowwho have something to actually ask for

3) Power Dynamics and Dialogue

It [feedback] depends on the lecturer I think because some of them arereally general and some of them are really specific so it depends on the timeof the lecturer and how much they are willing to do

4) UnfamiliarityI know quite a lot of people who didnt do it but I think its because theydidnt read the WebCT stuff so they werent aware of it

5) Timing

getting the assignment in was just a bit of a panicasking for feedback waskind of like the last thing on my mind


11/14

Discussion

The stark contrast of the success of two approachesprovide insights into how the most effective dialogical

devices or moments need to be introduced into the

learning cycle at points that are:

1) timely

2) enable informed participation

3) integrated into a wider dialogical relationship

4) appropriate to the teaching and learning context5) built on relationships of trust.


12/14

1. Student PriorExperiences ofAssessments

2.Preliminaryguidance

3. OngoingClarification

ofExpectations

4. Feedbackon

Performance/Achievement

5.Supplementary

Support

6.Feedforward

2.

Focused

Feedback

1. BootGrit

Further Research in Feedback Dialogues

4.

Introducing

feedforward

in WBLexperiences

3.

Exemplars

for CW and

exams


13/14

References

Bloxham, S. & Campbell, L., (2010) Generating dialogue in assessment

feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35, 3, 291-300.

Burke, D. (2009) Strategies for using feedback students bring to higher

education, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34, 1, 41-50.

Carless, D. (2009). Trust, distrust and their impact on assessment reform.

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(1), 79-89.

Higgins, R., Hartley, P., & Skelton, A. (2002). The conscientious consumer:Reconsidering the role of assessment feedback in student learning. Studiesin Higher Education, 27(1), 53-64.

Hounsell, D. (2008) The Trouble with Feedback: New Challenges, Emerging

Strategies, Accessed from

www.tla.ed.ac.uk/interchange/spring2008/hounsell2.pdf 18/02/10 Hounsell, D., McCune, V., Hounsell, J., and Litjens, J. (2008) The quality of

guidance and feedback to students. Higher Education Research &

Development, 27, 1, 55-67.

Poulos, A., & Mahony, M. J. (2008). Effectivensss of feedback: The

students' perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(2),

143-154.
http://www.tla.ed.ac.uk/interchange/spring2008/hounsell2.pdf%2018/02/10http://www.tla.ed.ac.uk/interchange/spring2008/hounsell2.pdf%2018/02/10


14/14

Questions?...

For more information: please contact Dr Jan McArthur, Institute for Education, Community and Society,Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, [email protected]

tipping out the boot grit: the use of on-going feedback devices to enhance feedback dialogue

Documents