Constructing effective feedback

Feedback should prioritise guidance to improve the student’s future work and learning. Framing comments through a future-oriented lens supports growth and development, helping the student to not only achieve the learning outcomes for the subject, but also to develop skills, processes or strategies that could be useful across/beyond their degree. Don’t forget to include explicit calls to action, and clear descriptions with sufficient detail to help students make sense of actionable information. 

"To strengthen your argument in your next essay, try incorporating counter-arguments and addressing them directly using evidence from your research. This will help demonstrate a deeper understanding of the complexities of the topic."
- Example feedback comment

This comment focuses on future improvement by suggesting a concrete strategy for strengthening arguments in future essays. It provides a clear action the student can take – incorporating counter-arguments – and explains how doing so will benefit their work by demonstrating deeper understanding. 

Effective feedback should attend to students’ social, emotional and motivational needs, and empower them to take an active role in their learning process, fostering self-regulation and autonomy. Student self-esteem and motivation are also important considerations in promoting learner agency, so it is important to affirm student achievement and encourage them in their future work. However, be aware of writing comments that become ambiguous as a result of trying to avoid negative emotional responses. Finally, creating a respectful humanistic connection is important through the use of the student’s name, and signing off with your name and email in the summary comment. 

"Hi Sarah, your analysis of the societal impacts of climate change was insightful. To further explore the economic implications, you might find it beneficial to consult the recent World Bank report on climate economics. It offers a global perspective that could complement your analysis."
- Example feedback comment

This comment promotes agency by acknowledging the student’s current work positively and then suggesting an avenue for independent learning. It encourages the student to take ownership of their learning by seeking out and engaging with additional resources. 

By taking steps to ensure feedback is comprehensible and relatable, you can help students construct meaning from the assessment experience. This sensemaking process is crucial for translating feedback into actionable steps for improvement and deeper learning. This includes highlighting specific strengths and weaknesses tied to aspects of the task, to provide targeted insights to guide improvement. 

"The structure of your lab report is well-organised and easy to follow. However, the discussion section would be stronger if you explicitly connected your findings back to the original hypothesis of the experiment. Doing so will help readers understand the significance of your results."
- Example feedback comment

This comment provides a clear and concise evaluation of the student’s work. It identifies a specific strength – the report’s structure – and then points out a specific area for improvement – connecting the findings to the hypothesis – with an explanation of how this will benefit the work.