Feedback and Feedback Literacy

In this section of the hub you will find a short guide on the topic of feedback and feedback literacy. In this guide, the authors make the case for ‘explicitly supporting students to become skilled and proactive participants in feedback processes’. The guide traces how thinking about feedback has evolved from viewing feedback as an artifact, to understanding and practicing feedback processes as a vital and integrated part of learning. The guide contains research-based practical advice towards ‘manageable approaches to creating feedback opportunities to support student self-efficacy in the curriculum’. It includes some suggestions around what readers might want to do next, under this topic, and a list of references to resources and research.

The guide is complemented by a two short videos on the same topic. In the first video, Feedback. Why it really Matters, Professor Sally Brown and Professor Kay Sambell assert the importance of feedback and discuss why it matters, comment on the characteristics of effective feedback, emphasise the need for feedback processes which are dialogic and developmental, and consider how variety in terms of feedback processes can build interactive learning and student self-evaluation capabilities. In the second video, Unpacking Feedback, Brown and Sambell engage in a short Q&A where they consider the topics of why feedback is integral to learning, feedback as a process, evidencing diverse forms of feedback, and engaging students in formative feedback approaches particularly through in-class active learning.

The Maynooth University guide and videos are followed by a curated list of resources, some of which have been developed specifically for Maynooth University, and others which we have sourced directly, or adapted, from other HEIs. Each resource has a short description and includes a note of the home institution from which the resource was sourced, where applicable.

Thinking About Feedback and Feedback Literacy

Feedback and Feedback Literacy Short Maynooth University research-informed guide written by Sally Brown and Kay Sambell on feedback and feedback literacy. Source: Maynooth University (Ireland).
Feedback and Feedback Literacy - Student Guide Short Maynooth University research-informed guide for students written by Sally Brown and Kay Sambell on feedback and feedback literacy. Source: Maynooth University (Ireland).
'Characteristics of Effective Teacher Comments' One page Maynooth University guide on the characteristics of effective teacher comments. Source: Maynooth University (Ireland).

‘Eight principles for effective feedback’. One page guide which outlines eight principles, each with a short description, for technology enhanced feedback. The principles have applicability beyond technology enhanced learning. Source: Monash University (Australia).

‘Feedback for Learning. Framework for Effective Feedback’. Infographic that captures key learning from the ‘Feedback for Learning’ project including what is feedback, challenges around feedback and conditions for success with feedback. Source: Feedback for Learning project partners: Monash University, Deakin University, The University of Melbourne (Australia).

‘Feedback. What is helpful (effective) feedback?’ Webpages which provide an overview of effective feedback, and feedback as a dialogue or process. They are followed by information on effective feedback and design, effective feedback and teaching, and effective feedback and marking. Source: University of Tasmania (Tasmania).

‘Feedback guidelines for staff’. Short overview of four principles which ‘were developed based on research … to guide staff on how to write effective formative feedback for students’ (TEACH, Macquarie University). Source: Macquarie University (Australia).

‘Challenges to quality feedback’. Short overview of four challenges associated with quality feedback and some suggested ways to address the challenges. Source: University of Technology Sydney (Australia).

‘Feedback literacy’. Colleagues are directed to a short section, as part of a larger overview of assessment and feedback, specifically on feedback literacy. Source: University of York (UK).

Practicing Feedback and Feedback Literacy

'Feedback as a process' One page Maynooth University guide which notes different approaches to feedback. Source: Maynooth University (Ireland).

'Supporting students' feedback literacy' One page Maynooth University guide which outlines a range of ways that we can support students' feedback literacy. Source: Maynooth University (Ireland)

'Formative assessment and feedback' Two page Maynooth University guide to formative assessment including examples of formative assessment. Source: Maynooth University (Ireland).

‘Commenting Constructively on Assessed Work’. Short guide which discusses commenting on students’ work. It outlines why commenting on work is important and gives six points of advice on what staff can do to comment in a way that will contribute to student learning. Source: Munster Technological University (Ireland).

‘Getting students to engage with feedback’. Short guide which discusses why student engagement with feedback is important. It draws on the work of Winstone et al. (2017) to suggest 11 points of action staff might take to encourage student engagement with feedback. Source: Munster Technological University (Ireland).

‘Giving formative feedback prior to submitting summative tasks’. Short guide which outlines why early formative feedback is important and suggests a range of things that staff can try in order to build in formative feedback prior to submission. Source: Munster Technological University (Ireland).

‘Streamlining feedback on summative tasks’. Short guide which offers six ways of giving feedback effectively and efficiently including to large groups of students. Source: Munster Technological University (Ireland).

‘Feedback Opportunities in Online Learning’. Infographic which covers individual feedback and group feedback, suggests approaches to both and outlines benefits and recommendations associated with the approaches. Source: University of Surrey (UK).

‘Feedback: quick ideas’. Webpage which provides short ‘practical ideas for giving more effective feedback’. Source: University of Edinburgh (Scotland).

‘Implement Feedback Strategies’. Webpages which note strategies for integrating feedback into teaching practice. They include short sections on moderation, peer feedback, using rubrics and exemplars as feedback, and more detailed information on audio and video feedback. Source: Monash University (Australia).

‘Making the most of Assessment and Feedback: A Guide for Students’. Short student guide which is designed to help students to better understand three feedback related principles, namely: ‘As well as measuring what you have learned, assessment can also help you to learn’; ‘Feedback can be really useful, but only if you use it’; ‘The University has rigorous systems in place to make sure that assessment are fair’. Source: Heriot Watt (Scotland).

‘How to Give Constructive and Actionable Feedback to Students: Staff to students’. Short animation which outlines three phases of learner-focused feedback, and provides advice on how to give constructive and actionable feedback to students. Source: UCD Teaching and Learning (Ireland).

‘Feedback for student learning’. Comprehensive set of webpages which ‘offers a range of approaches and ideas relating to the concept of feedback as a component of learning’. Source: University of Technology Sydney (Australia).

‘Using forms (proformas) for feedback’. Short guide on how to use forms to give feedback with examples that can be downloaded. Source: University College London (UK).

‘Types of feedback’. Short overview of five types of feedback: audio-visual feedback; exam feedback; whole class feedback; ipsative feedback; feed-forward. Source: University of Greenwich (UK).

‘How to give effective feedback’. Short overview of how to give effective feedback with worked example of key elements. Source: Charles Sturt University (Australia).

‘How to use feedback effectively. A guide for students’. A 16 page student guide on how to use feedback. Source: adapted from guide produced by University of Surrey in collaboration with Winstone and Nash as part of a HE Academy project (UK).

Case Studies

Y1 Feedback . As part of the Maynooth University led Y1Feedback project, 24 case studies of technology-enabled feedback approaches for first year were developed in partnership with ‘Feedback Champions’ from across Maynooth University, Athlone Institute of Technology, Dublin City University and Dundalk Institute of Technology. Each case study includes a video interview and a downloadable case study report. Source: MU, AIT, DCU and DkIT (Ireland).

‘Feedback for Learning. Case Studies’. Collection of six case studies, across a variety of disciplines (Medieval History, Psychology, Physics, Biology, Optometry Preparing for Professional Practice, Writing in Science). The case studies are comprehensive and include a short video. Source: Feedback for Learning project partners: Monash University, Deakin University, The University of Melbourne (Australia).

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Accessibility

‘Strategies to make feedback inclusive for all students’. Short guide outlining strategies around inclusive feedback emphasising being clear and encouraging, focusing on improvement, using appropriate forms of feedback and involving students in the feedback process. Source: University of Oxford (UK).

‘Making assessment and feedback inclusive’. Webpage which outlines barriers to inclusive assessment, strategies for making assessment more inclusive of all students, implementing assessment choice, and a checklist of questions to ask to improve inclusivity of assessment and feedback. Source: Imperial College London (UK).

‘Inclusivity in assessment and feedback’. Short guide with a checklist which draws attention to principles, methods, choice, inclusive exams, assessment literacy and technology. Source: Loughborough University (UK).

‘Four tips for providing inclusive feedback on “flagged” work’. Infographic providing pointers for staff providing feedback on ‘flagged’ work. The authors note that ‘Flags are added to work because the student would like the marker to know that they have a disability that may impact on their written work’. Source: University of Leeds (UK).

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Thinking About Feedback and Feedback Literacy

Practicing Feedback and Feedback Literacy

Case Studies

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Accessibility