Relevance of Feedback in Higher Education - Essay Example

? Report on relevance of Feedback in Higher Education Affiliation: Curse: Feedback is a process of exchanging valuable information on the past and present happenings in order to shape the present or future situations. It is in a form of chain of the cause-and-effect that is in form of a loop. Feedback can be of use in order to improve the work performed by through employing several mechanisms. One good way of using feedback is through conducting focused training sessions that focus on exchanging skills. Feedback can also be in use for urging other people to try doing things even when they have low beliefs of getting it right. One can also use feedback in acting as role model that will eventually help other people follow the same example, thus heading to the right direction. Many people widely recognize feedback as an important part of the learning cycle, as it helps in modeling the children at tender age, hence adopting the rightful behavior that is essential for enhancing their performance. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction …………………………………………………………………… 4 2.0 Background ……………………………………………………………………. 4 3.0 Evaluations on the use of student feedback …………………………………….. 5 3.1 Areas of feedback use ……………………………………………………. 5 3.2 Areas essential for gathering feedback …………………………………… 6 3.3 Characteristics of effective feedback …………………………………….. 6 4.0 Potential benefits of student feedback ……………………………………………. 7 5.0 Potential challenges associated to use of feedback ………………………………… 7 6.0 Findings of preliminary research ………………………………………………….. 8 7.0 Discussion and arguments on the same ……………………………………………. 8 8.0 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………. 9 9.0 Recommendation ………………………………………………………………….. 9 References ……………………………………………………………………………… 10 1.0 Introduction Feedback refers to any form of response that goes in hand with the student’s work as it serves as an assessment task, performance or product. People that usually have the mandate of giving feedback may include teachers, external assessors, or student peers while it comes in either written or spoken form. Many people widely recognize feedback as an important part of the learning cycle, but to some extent, students and teachers come out into expressing their disappointment and frustrations on the process of conducting feedbacks. Some students cite that feedback on assessment in unhelpful process or unclear, and to some extent demoralizing. Lecturers that oppose the use of feedback also cite that some students do not know how to incorporate feedback advice into fulfilling their subsequent tasks, hence making the process ineffective (Brennan & Williams, 2004). This research paper is going to evaluate on the use of student feedback in the higher education institutions while outline some potential benefits and challenges associated to this strategy. 2.0 Background Providing feedback on a regular basis to the students in regards to the level of performance is the most powerful tool for enhancing teaching process. In simple terms, feedback deals with sharing of information on the student’s performance. Positive feedback intends to sustain appropriate and effective behavior while negative/corrective feedback serves the purpose of changing behavior that the learning institution considers as inappropriate or ineffective. Therefore, it is important to have a mixture of positive and corrective feedback while this feedback should also be specific enough for students to understand with ease, and hence being able to identify the type of appropriate behavior while implementing change on bad behaviors. Psychologists consider feedback as one of the best-tested principles as it is most effective when it comes in a timely manner, perceived as relevant, meaning, and sending an encouraging message (Falchikov, 2005). A good feedback also offers the students with suggestions of how to improve in contexts that are within the grasp of students. 3.0 Evaluations on the use of student feedback 3.1 Areas of feedback use When used for staff purposes, feedback is essential for providing information for the course design, for developing further teaching skills, for matching learning to the needs of learners, and for supporting bids useful for funding teaching projects. For students’ purposes, feedback is essential for developing feeling of value and ‘listened’ to among students, developing ownership into their own learning, developing reflective thinking, getting adequate information on how to select courses, and maximizing on their learning skills (Butler & McMunn, 2006). To all other people, feedback is essential for enhancing relationships and defining roles, providing ‘positive’ teacher/student partnerships, establishing learning objectives, ensuring quality management through enhancing full accounts of student’s views, and informing executive action through policy developments or resource allocations as part of the quality assurance procedures. 3.2 Areas essential for gathering feedback The manner of which people perceive feedback is of great importance as it is not always about academic views and opinions. Effectiveness in any course comprises a mixture of experiences from several areas, such as, subject provision and aims, learning outcomes, curricula and assessment, assessment on quality of learning opportunities, student’s achievement, and eventually maintenance and enhancement of qualities and standards. Feedback for students has to be available as soon as possible, if the learning task ends. Students frequently require observing that feed-forward comments are possible to incorporate into their subsequent performances, as well as being essential towards influencing the quality of their learning in positive ways. In the similar manner, it is essential to withhold feedback on a temporary basis as it allows students room for internalizing and processing demands of tasks upon themselves (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). 3.3 Characteristics of effective feedback There are several strategies of telling if the feedback is effective enough as its effectiveness helps at determining its significant outcome. An effective feedback requires being specific, and performance based, then descriptive rather than employing the use of labels, and one that focuses on behavior, rather than focusing on learners. The feedback also has to have balance between positive and negative comments, good in timing, being brief, providing room for two-way communication, and anchors to the general goals (Publishing, 2013). An effective feedback also bases on trust, honesty, and concerns, then begins with ‘I’ statement, requires to be private in case of corrective/negative feedback, then being part of regular teaching process, as well as providing room for follow-up. 4.0 Potential benefits of student feedback There are several benefits of using student feedback in any education system. Feedback is usually in use for purposes of enhancing learning, as students are able to interact with their peers, as well as having opportunities for discussing difficult concepts among themselves. Through feedback, students have the opportunities of asking for reasons as to why specific questions were wrong. More so, feedback is the guidance to improving on performance, as well as encouraging students to learn (Irons, 2008). Through feedback, students are able know on what that requires obtaining more knowledge from, as well as knowing the assessment criteria. Students also learn to accept constructive criticism, encourages transparency in assessment, and making the learning process more interesting. 5.0 Potential challenges associated to use of feedback Despite having its own advantages of enhancing the learning processes, feedback have its own potential disadvantages. For instance, there is difficulty in interpreting feedback, then raising levels of anxiousness among students due to fear of open scrutiny. This strategy is also time consuming, as well as experiencing difficulties when it comes to self-assessment (Payne, 2009). Need for providing explanations on reasons for specific answers is also another potential disadvantage facing this process. 6.0 Findings of preliminary research Preliminary research on 148 students was seeking to find what students value most when it comes to use of feedback. Students were only to answer a questionnaire asking them, ‘what are some perceived benefits of having feedback for learning enhancement’? From the findings obtained, it indicates that students perceive three key issues as of greatest benefits of feedback. Almost 86.50% prefer knowing what they require to learn, with 83.75% preferring to feedback as guidance for improving performance while an average of 79.75% prefers feedback as a tool for encouraging learning. Other benefits as perceived by students include making learning interesting, knowing of assessment criteria, and increasing on transparency, which averages to 78.00%, 75.25%, and 73.25% respectively. The least benefits include interaction with peers, knowing to understand constructive criticism, and providing an opportunity for discussing difficult concepts, which averages at 72.25%, 60.50%, and 52.25% respectively. All these variations occur to different perceptions of the respondents, as well as their initial experience to use of feedback. People that experience negative feedback during their first interaction with the process comprise the majority of those that do not prefer its use in institutions (Butler & McMunn, 2006). 7.0 Discussion and arguments on the same Study was able to indicate how students benefit from the use of feedback strategies in the higher learning institutions as feedback provides informative assessment tool for knowing contents required when learning. Students also benefit when they receive guidance as it helps in improving their performance while some students showed that they benefit from the feedback in the manner that it encourages them in learning. Study was also able to find that students find feedback to be challenging as it increases on levels of anxiety of facing open scrutiny, and challenge in interpreting information of feedback. 8.0 Conclusion The study on the importance of feedback in higher learning institutions was able to identify that knowing content required for them to learn, serving as guidance for improving performance, and encouraging them to learn as the most important benefits. Challenges to use of feedback include fears of open scrutiny, and difficulties when interpreting the feedback. Teachers also consider feedback as an important tool for planning the instructional strategies, helping in sustaining the interests of student in learning, and for monitoring progress of the student. However, challenges to use of feedback include time-consuming, and difficulties in maintaining objectivity in the scores. 10.0 Recommendation Through data obtained from secondary research, it becomes a matter of high importance to consider designing instructional programs, and ensuring maximum visibility of feedback’s place in the informative assessment. I recommend for the formation of strategies that ensure room for timely and adequate feedback when on provision to students. There is need for providing students with more opportunities into responding to this feedback. I recommend for use of feedback as the basis of planning the future instructions in all higher learning institutions. References Brennan, J., & Williams, R. (2004). Collecting and using student feedback: a guide to good practice. York [England: Learning and Teaching Support Network. Butler, S. M., & McMunn, N. D. (2006). A teacher's guide to classroom assessment: understanding and using assessment to improve student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Falchikov, N. (2005). Improving assessment through student involvement: practical solutions for aiding learning in higher and further education. New York: RoutledgeFalmer. Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81-112. Irons, A. (2008). Enhancing learning through formative assessment and feedback. London: Routledge. Payne, C. R. (2009). Information technology and constructivism in higher education: progressive learning frameworks. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Read More