reflection on assignment feedback

Feedback on your assignments: what it is and how to use it

This guide explains how to use your tutor's feedback so that you understand your grade and how to improve your academic performance..

• Understand your strengths and weaknesses

When you get your assignments back from your tutor, you will probably initially focus on the grade you have received.

However, your tutor will have given you useful and well thought-out feedback, with the purpose of a) helping you understand the grade and b) providing you with ideas for how to improve in future assignments. It is important that you make good use of this feedback to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses and what you need to do to improve on your grade.

There are three key things you need to do in order to maximise the usefulness of your tutor feedback:

• Understand the feedback : look at all the feedback provided (sometimes there are comments on your script as well as the overall comments), and read it carefully to ensure you understand each comment.
• Log your feedback : create a system of storing your feedback that is easily accessible.
• Use your feedback in future assignments : refer to your feedback in preparation for new assignments, and use it as a checklist.
• Understand the feedback

Tutors will have different ways of giving you feedback. Some will provide a written summary of your key strengths and weaknesses, and some will provide oral recorded feedback. You may also receive focused, itemised feedback on the script of your work.

Tutors will provide both positive and critical feedback. Generally, the positive feedback is easy to understand, but sometimes the critical feedback can be unclear or can use terminology that is not easy to understand. Some common critical comments are listed below with a glossary to explain what is meant, and suggestions for how to improve as a result of this feedback.

• Glossary of terms

• Log your feedback

Once you have read and understood the feedback you have received, it is important to create a system of storing it for future reference. This feedback is useful when preparing your next assignments, and you should find a system of storage that is easily accessible and works well for you.

Not everyone will like the same system. Here are a couple of examples of ways that students have stored their feedback to create an easy reference tool to use as a check list each time they start work on assignments.

Using a table

This method of logging and storing your feedback is commonly used. Here you create a table and cut and past feedback into the appropriate column. In addition, students often include a column for their grade, so that they can see which assignments are likely to have feedback that tells them not only what to improve, but also what to continue doing.

This is what it could look like as a student starts to fill it in:

Using a mind map

Another common way to log your feedback is by creating a mind map.

Use sections to group your feedback so that it is easily demarcated by comment-type. Mind maps work best with the key points from your feedback. It can be a useful review task to pull out the main issues raised by your tutor, and to summarise them using concise language.

Remember that you should choose a way to log your feedback that works best for you. It needs to be achievable and accessible to you, so that you can use it easily to review your tutors’ advice and learn from it.

• Use your feedback in future assignments

Once you have set up a system for collecting and storing your feedback, you have an important resource to help you improve on your work.

You need to revisit this feedback and review the comments frequently, in order to learn what your strengths and weaknesses are. You will start to identify themes, and this will help you to create a plan for how to improve.

For each new assignment, the following approach should help you to avoid making the same mistakes again, and allow you to consolidate the strengths you have.

• Summary and next steps
• Make sure you understand it and can see why your tutors are saying what they are saying.
• Create a storage system that suits you. Include your own reflection and ideas for what you need to do to improve.
• As you build up your feedback, start to collate it to show recurring themes and comments.
• Use your collated feedback as a guide and checklist when planning, preparing and reviewing your work.

Engaging with feedback resource

This short, interactive self-access resource shows you how to:

• use feedback as a powerful learning tool
• examine what might be preventing you from using feedback
• identify patterns in your feedback
• set goals and create a personal action plan.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

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Reflecting on Feedback

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Reflecting on feedback

What is reflectiong on feedback?

Feedback is designed to help you to identify your own strengths and weaknesses in a piece of work.  It can help you improve on your work by building on the positive comments and using the critical ones to inform changes in your future writing.  Therefore, feedback forms a critical role in your learning and helps you to improve each piece of work.   As with all reflection, reflecting on your feedback should follow the three stages of reflection outlined in earlier in this guide.

What should I do with feedback?

Try to identify the main points of the feedback.  What does it say?  Can you break it down into main points or areas of improvement?  Writing these down can be good to refer to later. You may find keeping all of your feedback in one place helps, as it makes it easier to look back and identify common mistakes.  Identifying the main points of the feedback is the descriptive stage of reflection.

Once you have done this, move on to the critical thinking stage.  How do you feel about the feedback?  What are you particularly proud of?  Is there anything you are disappointed by?  Are there any points where you need further clarification from your lecturer?

Finally, there is the future focused stage of reflection.  How will this feedback influence how you complete your next assignment?  What will you do the same?  What will you do differently?  You may find it helpful to put together an action plan ready for when you begin your next module.

VP Education's Feedback Guidance

Feedback guidance.

Reflecting on Feedback Video - 2 mins

Naomi discusses top tips for reflecting on feedback from your assignments.

Methods of Reflecting on Your Assignment

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• Last Updated: Aug 23, 2023 3:51 PM
• URL: https://libguides.derby.ac.uk/reflectivewriting

• Peterborough

How to Write a Reflection Paper

Why reflective writing, experiential reflection, reading reflection.

• A note on mechanics

Reflection offers you the opportunity to consider how your personal experiences and observations shape your thinking and your acceptance of new ideas.  Professors often ask students to write reading reflections.  They do this to encourage you to explore your own ideas about a text, to express your opinion rather than summarize the opinions of others.  Reflective writing can help you to improve your analytical skills because it requires you to express what you think, and more significantly, how and why you think that way.  In addition, reflective analysis asks you to acknowledge that your thoughts are shaped by your assumptions and preconceived ideas; in doing so, you can appreciate the ideas of others, notice how their assumptions and preconceived ideas may have shaped their thoughts, and perhaps recognize how your ideas support or oppose what you read.

Types of Reflective Writing

Popular in professional programs, like business, nursing, social work, forensics and education, reflection is an important part of making connections between theory and practice.  When you are asked to reflect upon experience in a placement, you do not only describe your experience, but you evaluate it based on ideas from class.  You can assess a theory or approach based on your observations and practice and evaluate your own knowledge and skills within your professional field.   This opportunity to take the time to think about your choices, your actions, your successes and your failures is best done within a specific framework, like course themes or work placement objectives.  Abstract concepts can become concrete and real to you when considered within your own experiences, and reflection on your experiences allows you to make plans for improvement.

To encourage thoughtful and balanced assessment of readings, many interdisciplinary courses may ask you to submit a reading reflection.  Often instructors will indicate to students what they expect of a reflection, but the general purpose is to elicit your informed opinions about ideas presented in the text and to consider how they affect your interpretation.   Reading reflections offer an opportunity to recognize – and perhaps break down – your assumptions which may be challenged by the text(s). 

Approaches to Reflective Inquiry

You may wonder how your professors assess your reflective writing.  What are they looking for? How can my experiences or ideas be right or wrong?  Your instructors expect you to critically engage with concepts from your course by making connections between your observations, experiences, and opinions.   They expect you to explain and analyse these concepts from your own point of view, eliciting original ideas and encouraging active interest in the course material.

It can be difficult to know where to begin when writing a critical reflection.  First, know that – like any other academic piece of writing – a reflection requires a narrow focus and strong analysis.  The best approach for identifying a focus and for reflective analysis is interrogation.   The following offers suggestions for your line of inquiry when developing a reflective response.

It is best to discuss your experiences in a work placement or practicum within the context of personal or organizational goals; doing so provides important insights and perspective for your own growth in the profession. For reflective writing, it is important to balance reporting or descriptive writing with critical reflection and analysis.

Consider these questions:

• Contextualize your reflection:  What are your learning goals? What are the objectives of the organization?  How do these goals fit with the themes or concepts from the course?
• Provide important information: What is the name of the host organization? What is their mission? Who do they serve? What was your role? What did you do?
• Analytical Reflection: What did you learn from this experience? About yourself? About working in the field? About society?
• Lessons from reflection: Did your experience fit with the goals or concepts of the course or organization?  Why or why not? What are your lessons for the future? What was successful? Why? What would you do differently? Why? How will you prepare for a future experience in the field?

Consider the purpose of reflection: to demonstrate your learning in the course.  It is important to actively and directly connect concepts from class to your personal or experiential reflection.  The following example shows how a student’s observations from a classroom can be analysed using a theoretical concept and how the experience can help a student to evaluate this concept.

For Example My observations from the classroom demonstrate that the hierarchical structure of Bloom’s Taxonomy is problematic, a concept also explored by Paul (1993).  The students often combined activities like application and synthesis or analysis and evaluation to build their knowledge and comprehension of unfamiliar concepts.  This challenges my understanding of traditional teaching methods where knowledge is the basis for inquiry.  Perhaps higher-order learning strategies like inquiry and evaluation can also be the basis for knowledge and comprehension, which are classified as lower-order skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Critical reflection requires thoughtful and persistent inquiry.  Although basic questions like “what is the thesis?” and “what is the evidence?” are important to demonstrate your understanding, you need to interrogate your own assumptions and knowledge to deepen your analysis and focus your assessment of the text.

Assess the text(s):

• What is the main point? How is it developed? Identify the purpose, impact and/or theoretical framework of the text.
• What ideas stood out to me? Why? Were they new or in opposition to existing scholarship?

Develop your ideas:

• What do I know about this topic? Where does my existing knowledge come from? What are the observations or experiences that shape my understanding?
• Do I agree or disagree with this argument?  Why?

Make connections:

• How does this text reinforce my existing ideas or assumptions? How does this text challenge my existing ideas or assumptions?
• How does this text help me to better understand this topic or explore this field of study/discipline?

A Note on Mechanics

As with all written assignments or reports, it is important to have a clear focus for your writing.  You do not need to discuss every experience or element of your placement.  Pick a few that you can explore within the context of your learning.  For reflective responses, identify the main arguments or important elements of the text to develop a stronger analysis which integrates relevant ideas from course materials.

Furthermore, your writing must be organized.  Introduce your topic and the point you plan to make about your experience and learning.  Develop your point through body paragraph(s), and conclude your paper by exploring the meaning you derive from your reflection. You may find the questions listed above can help you to develop an outline before you write your paper.

You should maintain a formal tone, but it is acceptable to write in the first person and to use personal pronouns.  Note, however, that it is important that you maintain confidentiality and anonymity of clients, patients or students from work or volunteer placements by using pseudonyms and masking identifying factors. 

The value of reflection: Critical reflection is a meaningful exercise which can require as much time and work as traditional essays and reports because it asks students to be purposeful and engaged participants, readers, and thinkers.

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Examples of Reflective Writing

Types of reflective writing assignments.

A journal  requires you to write weekly entries throughout a semester. May require you to base your reflection on course content.

A learning diary is similar to a journal, but may require group participation. The diary then becomes a place for you to communicate in writing with other group members.

A logbook is often used in disciplines based on experimental work, such as science. You note down or 'log' what you have done. A log gives you an accurate record of a process and helps you reflect on past actions and make better decisions for future actions.

A reflective note is often used in law. A reflective note encourages you to think about your personal reaction to a legal issue raised in a course.

An essay diary  can take the form of an annotated bibliography (where you examine sources of evidence you might include in your essay) and a critique (where you reflect on your own writing and research processes).

a peer review  usually involves students showing their work to their peers for feedback.

A self-assessment task  requires you to comment on your own work.

Some examples of reflective writing

Social science fieldwork report (methods section).

Engineering Design Report

Learning Journal (weekly reflection)

Brookfield, S 1987, Developing critical thinkers: challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting , Open University Press, Milton Keynes.

Mezirow, J 1990, Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: a guide to transformative and emancipatory learning , Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Schön, DA 1987, Educating the reflective practitioner , Jossey-Bass. San Francisco.

We thank the students who permitted us to feature examples of their writing.

Prepared by Academic Skills, UNSW. This guide may be distributed or adapted for educational purposes. Full and proper acknowledgement is required. 

Essay and assignment writing guide

• Essay writing basics
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Teaching Commons > Teaching Guides > Feedback & Grading > Assessing Reflection

Assessing reflection or reflective processes can be particularly challenging.  A few examples of this challenge are:

• If reflection is meant to be a intimately personal experience, do we alter it simply by defining standards for assessment, making it a less personal and externally imposed process?
• Assessment of reflection depends on written or spoken language.  How might this handicap students who are less familiar with conventional and discipline or context-specific linguistic expectations in a manner that has nothing to do with those students’ abilities to engage in refection? 
• For example, will your students who are non-native speakers, or come from backgrounds with less exposure to common academic linguistic forms have a more difficult time demonstrating their ability to reflect well? 

A few things to consider when you are designing your assessment strategies are:

• What is the purpose of the reflection? 
• Are you interested in the process of reflection, the products of reflection or both?
• How will the assessment task itself promote reflection or reflective practices? 
• How will you make judgements about reflection? 
• How will you make it clear to students what you expect of them in terms of their reflection?

Models for Assessing Reflection

Hatton and smith (1995).

Hatton and Smith described four progressive levels of reflection, with each increased level indicating more/better reflective processes.

• Descriptive: This is not reflection, but simply describes events that occurred with no attempt to describe ‘why.’
• Descriptive Reflection: Description includes reasons, but simply reports reasons.
• Dialogic Reflection: Reflection as a personal dialogue involving questioning things, considering alternatives, etc. Examples include "I wonder..., what if..., perhaps..." types of statements.
• Critical Reflection: Takes into account context in which events occur, questions assumptions, considers alternatives, thinks about consequences of decisions/actions on others, and engages in reflective skepticism. 

Ash and Clayton (2004)

Ash and Clayton describe a guided process for facilitating and assessing reflection. These researchers focus specifically on service learning, but their model could be applied to other types of learning experiences. In this model, students do the following:

• Describe the experience
• Analyze the experience(s) from different categories of perspectives based on the learning objective:
• Identify learning in each category
• Articulate learning by developing a well-developed statement of learning, using four guiding questions as a guide:
• What did I learn?
• How, specifically, did I learn it?
• Why does this learning matter, or why is it significant?
• In what ways will I use this learning?
• Analyze/revise articulated learning statements by applying standards of critical thinking through: 
• Student self-assessment
• Instructor feedback
• Finalize the articulated learning statements, aiming to fulfill all learning objectives in each categories and meet standards of critical thinking
• Undertake new learning experiences, including taking action on articulated learning statements to test the initial conclusions reached (when feasible)
• Continue the reflection process, addressing additional complexity in future articulated learning statements when possible

Ash and Clayton recommend several ways instructors may use their framework to assess students’ reflection. One way is to use a rubric; they provide the top level of achievement for the critical thinking rubric they use for assessing articulated learning statements:.

Level 4 (of 4) does most or all of the following:

Further Reading

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General tips for academic reflections

An overview of key things to keep in mind for academic reflections.

Make sure you know what the assessor is asking for

Your main consideration when producing written or any kind of academic reflection is to know exactly what is expected of you. Therefore, you should ask your assessor what kind of language and structure they are expecting. With that in mind, the characteristics described here and in the sections on language and structure for academic reflections are what is often sought after.

Language of academic reflections

Structure of academic reflections

Using private reflections as foundations for academic reflections

Academic reflective writing is often used to evidence that you have done reflection. Therefore, it is often beneficial to first do a private reflection where you can be as informal and unstructured as you want, and then readapt that into a piece of academic writing.

By using a private reflection initially, you can ensure that you get the full learning opportunity without censoring yourself or being conscious of language, before deciding how best to present your reflections to your assessor. This is similar to figuring out what your argument is and taking notes before writing an essay, or to all the background work you do to solve a technical/mathematical problem that you do not include in your hand-in.

Just as developing your argument and working through each step of a problem can be essential for the final essay or hand-in, for some people doing a private reflection can be very helpful in writing an effective academic reflection. For others, writing their reflection in a formal and structured way from the outset helps them structure their thoughts.

The core elements of academic reflective writing

Academic reflective writing is a genre and just like an essay has characteristics, so does academic reflective writing.

Academic reflective writing requires critical and analytic thought, a clear line of argument, and the use of evidence through examples of personal experiences and thoughts and often also theoretical literature.

You should aim for a balance between personal experience, tone, and academic practice and rigor.

Academic reflective writing should:

• develop a perspective or line of reasoning
• develop a link between your experience or practice and existing knowledge (theoretical or personal)
• show understanding and appreciation of different perspectives to your own
• show recognition that your own understanding is likely incomplete and situations are rarely clear-cut and simplistic
• show learning resulting from the reflection (either by discovering something new or confirming existing knowledge) and how you plan to use it
• be written in an appropriate style with language relevant to your academic discipline
• sometimes, but not always, use theoretical literature to inform your understanding. 

People can have misconceptions about academic reflective writing – some of the common ones are described below.

Developed from:

Ryan, M., 2011. Improving reflective writing in higher education: a social semiotic perspective. Teaching in Higher Education, 16(1), 99-111.

University of Portsmouth, Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement (date unavailable). Reflective Writing: a basic introduction [online].  Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth.

Queen Margaret University, Effective Learning Service (date unavailable).  Reflection. [online].  Edinburgh: Queen Margaret University.

How to Reflect on Feedback

Feedback is a big part of our daily lives. It can be oral, written, informal, formal, descriptive, evaluative, peer, and self-assessed. When we talk about feedback at LearningBridge, we often refer to its use in a formal setting as part of a “Generative Feedback Process”. Having gone through the process of gathering feedback, how do we use it? There are usually some positive and some negative points included in the feedback, and we might naturally want to defend ourselves from the negative feedback. In the article, “How to Accept Difficult Feedback” , Glade mentions 6 steps to accomplish this. One of them is to step back and reflect. We need to reflect on the feedback given to so that we can learn. After that we can put together a plan to act. How do we effectively reflect on feedback that is given?

What Model Should I follow?

There are many models with varying numbers of stages that explain how to reflect on feedback. Kolb’s Reflective Cycle was first published in 1984 and has 4 stages. The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle was presented in 1988 and has 6 stages. You can read about the differences between these two, “What is the Difference Between Kolb and Gibbs Reflective Cycle” . For this article, I am going to focus on the 3 stages that I think are the most useful.

3 Stages of Reflection

Most important, you need these 3 stages for the simplest reflection model: Descriptive, Critical Thinking, and Future Focus.

Stage 1 – Descriptive

Describe in your own words what the feedback is saying. This can help you clarify your understanding. People retain information in different ways. For some, it helps to write it down in their own words. For others, it might be saying it out loud to someone else. Therefore, use the method that works best for you.

Stage 2 – Critical Thinking

Once you have put ideas into your own words you can then dive into more critical thinking about what it means. You can ask yourself who, what, where, when, how, and why.

Who was involved? Were they people you normally interact with or part of a special project?

What was good and what was bad? Is there anything you could have done that you didn’t? What did you do that you wished you hadn’t?

Where did this happen? Was it in your workspace, a neutral area, or the workspace of someone else?

When did this occur? Was it in the morning, afternoon, or evening?

How did you react to the situation? Did things change or not go as expected and you were required to adapt?

Why did you do what you did or why was the result good or bad?

Stage 3 – Future Focus

Determine areas in your life that you need to change or areas in your life that you can change or actions you can continue to do or improve on.

Critical Thinking and How We Reflect

Reflection is defined as thinking quietly and calmly. Therefore, we need to step back to think. Everyone is different so there is not one method that works for everyone. Use whichever method allows your mind to be calm while you think about the feedback. I have 6 kids. At my house, it can be very difficult to reach this state of mind where I can quietly and calmly think. Even when the kids are getting along and playing, it is still noisy! One of my hobbies is cycling. I recently have been riding with a friend who is training for a Half Ironman race. I have noticed a difference in my rides. While I strain to keep pace with him all my focus goes into my riding. This includes my pedaling, breathing, shifting, and many other things. There is no room left for me to think about anything else. This contrasts with how my rides normally are. On my usual, slower-paced rides, ideas—both professional and personal—come to mind that I have been thinking about. These rides are time that I get to ponder ideas, and my mental state allows me to reflect.

In conclusion, There are many models out there to help you reflect on feedback you have received. Focus on finding the meaning behind what was said and what you can do to improve. A key part to the process is stepping back from the feedback to allow yourself to reflect on it quietly and calmly. This allows you to come up with ideas on how you can improve.

Related articles: How to Accept Difficult Feedback Six Guiding Principles for Receiving Feedback

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How to give and receive feedback effectively

Georgia hardavella.

1 Dept of Respiratory Medicine, King’s College Hospital, London, UK

2 Dept of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, King’s College London, London, UK

Ane Aamli-Gaagnat

3 Dept of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

4 Faculty of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, UK

Ilona Rousalova

5 1st Dept of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Care, 1st Medical School and General University Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

Katherina B. Sreter

6 Dept of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Centre “Sestre Milosrdnice”, Zagreb, Croatia

In most European countries, feedback is embedded in education, training and daily professional activities. It is a valuable tool for indicating whether things are going in the right direction or whether redirection is required. In the world of healthcare professionals, it is intended to provide doctors with information about their practice through the eyes of their peers. Feedback is a valuable tool for doctors to gather information, consolidate their awareness of strengths and areas to improve, and aims to support effective behaviour. Doctors of all levels may be approached by peers or juniors to give feedback, or they may ask others to give feedback on their own performance.

Short abstract

Giving and receiving effective feedback are skills that are central in healthcare settings http://ow.ly/zZ1C30eVrH1

Feedback is the breakfast of champions . Ken Blanchard

Feedback is the fuel that drives improved performance . Eric Parsloe

Giving and receiving feedback is not an easy task and poses significant challenges for both sides. In this article, we will discuss pragmatic feedback models, how to overcome barriers to an effective feedback and tips for giving effective feedback, as well as how to receive feedback and make the most out of it.

Types of feedback

• Informal feedback is the most frequent form. It is provided on a day-to-day basis, and is given on any aspect of a doctor’s professional performance and conduct, by any member of the multidisciplinary team. It is usually in verbal form.
• Formal feedback comes as part of a structured assessment; it can be offered by any member of the multidisciplinary team, but most frequently by peers or superiors. It is usually in written form.
• Formative feedback, “for learning”, is about a learner’s progress at a particular time through a course or during the acquisition of a new skill. It provides opportunities to gain feedback, reflect and redirect effort (where appropriate) before completing a final assessment. It gives you the experience of writing or performing a task without it having a direct impact on your formal progress and relies on continuous encouragement.
• Summative feedback, “of learning”, measures performance, often against a standard, and comes with a mark/grade and feedback to explain your mark. It can be used to rank or judge individuals

For the purpose of this article, we will focus on formal and informal feedback.

Why is feedback important?

As a general rule, it seems that learners value feedback more when it is given by someone they respect as a role model. Appropriate feedback contributes significantly in developing learners’ competence and confidence at all stages of their professional careers; it helps them think about the gap between actual and desired performance, and identify ways to narrow the gap and improve. For health professionals in particular, it promotes reflective and experiential learning ,which involves “training on the job”, and reflecting on experiences, incidents and feelings. More importantly, feedback aims to develop performance to a higher level by dealing with underperformance in a constructive way.

If we do not give feedback, this will come with a cost. The learner can assume that everything is fine and will continue practicing in the same way. This leads into a false assessment of their own skills and abilities, and builds up a false perception.

Who gives feedback?

In professional life, your patients and anyone working with you as a member of the multidisciplinary team can give you feedback. Feedback in these cases is meant to be given reciprocally, i.e. you will also need to give feedback to your peers. We have listed the most common sources of feedback in figure 1 .

Sources of feedback.

Educational or clinical supervisors

Your educational or clinical supervisor can be a major source of feedback. They are meant to act as your mentor, monitor your clinical and educational progress, and ensure you receive appropriate career guidance and planning. Educational or clinical supervisors do not formally exist in all respiratory medicine training programmes across Europe and this role may be informally undertaken ad hoc by the clinical lead of the department, a supervising consultant or a PhD/MSc supervisor. Regardless of the role allocation, feedback is integral to the process, and should cover clinical and academic practice, professional conduct, complaints and/or serious incidents that should be discussed in a reflective, nonjudgmental manner to allow improvement and personal development. Should this occur in a structured and organised manner with a delegated supervisor, it will be helpful for the learner.

As previously stated, the feedback process should be reciprocal. Departmental trainee feedback is essential to monitor and improve the quality of specialty training. Trainees’ feedback must be used with other sources of information to review and improve the training programmes and posts. Obtaining this type of feedback can sometimes be challenging as it may be biased by the fear of identification and labelling of trainees; therefore, in some countries, it is given anonymously. This feedback should also be an opportunity to raise concerns about patient safety or colleague bullying and undermining.

Peers and colleagues

People you work with as members of a multidisciplinary team are expected to provide their feedback in a constructive manner, being open and supportive. This multisource feedback aims to improve your own understanding of where things stand; it is a clear “reality check” and, at the same time, gives a clear direction of travel in terms of improving behaviours, attitudes and skills. If you have not received such feedback, ask for it.

Patients’ feedback provides valuable information about what patients and service users think about the healthcare services offered. Examining patients’ feedback will give a direct insight into what is working well and what needs further improvement in the way care is delivered. Furthermore, patient feedback to healthcare professionals is also important as it highlights examples of good practice where lessons can be learnt and areas of concern where improvements can be made. Measuring patients’ feedback and experiences of care/treatment highlights areas that need to improve to provide a patient-led healthcare service.

Feedback models

There are several different models of giving feedback. Not every model is applicable in all daily cases of providing feedback. Below we have listed some feedback models.

The “feedback sandwich”

The feedback sandwich starts and concludes with positive feedback, and what can be considered as the more critical feedback is “sandwiched” between the positive aspects. This can be applicable in everyday clinical practise. However, if you use this method continuously, it might lose its effectiveness. The person receiving our feedback will only wait for the “but” in the middle of your sentence. In this case, make sure to give positive feedback on its own when the opportunity arises. If your coworkers feel acknowledged daily, they will be more open to all kinds of feedback when applicable. A couple of examples of the feedback sandwich follow.

“You have done really well in the acute take; you prioritised cases efficiently and your management plans were well structured. I was thinking we could discuss a few things I believe you can further improve such as timely communication of messages to the nursing staff and emphasising the urgency of particular tasks. After completing your management plan in the medical notes, you can consider discussing verbally the urgency of some tasks with the nurse looking after the patient so that they are alerted and can proceed with them promptly rather than relying on them going back to read the medical notes, which can take longer due to the overwhelming emergency department. Additional verbal communication will complement the excellent quality of your work, will ensure your well-structured management plan is implemented in a timely manner for the patient’s benefit and will further improve your patient’s outcome.”

“I noticed you made the patient and relatives feel very comfortable while you explained the bronchoscopy test to them, and your explanation was very clear. It would have helped further if you had given them patient information leaflets, as at times they were looking a bit overwhelmed. However, you have set a time for meeting with them again, and this will give you the opportunity of answering any questions and giving the leaflets.”

“Chronological fashion” feedback

Chronological fashion feedback focuses on reflecting observations chronologically, reiterating the events that occurred during the session back to the learner. For instance, an observer can go through a learning session and give feedback from beginning to the end.

“The first thing you did really well when you entered the room was to introduce yourself to the patient. Then, you proceeded with physical examination without getting the patient’s consent for this and at that point, the patient looked distressed. It was after that when you explained what you would do and got their consent, and consequently, the patient was more relaxed during the rest of the physical examination.”

This is helpful for short feedback sessions but you can become bogged down in detail during long sessions.

Pendleton model

The Pendleton model was developed in 1984. It is more learner centred, conversation based and identifies an action plan or goals: “reflection for action”. The facilitator needs to check whether the learner wants and is ready for feedback. Then, the learner gives some background about what is being assessed and states what was done well. This aims to create a safe environment first by highlighting positives and consequently this prevents defensiveness. The facilitator then reinforces these positives and the learner suggests what could be improved. This is important, as weaknesses are dissected to offer opportunities for reflection. The facilitator advises how this could be improved and a mutually agreed action plan is formed. The main idea is to use open questions and give the learner the opportunity to think and reflect.

“What do you think went well?”

“What do you think could be done differently?”

“What could be further improved?”

“How can this be achieved?”

Barriers to effective feedback

Various factors can impact on effective feedback and act as barriers ( table 1 ). It is important to be able to identify and overcome them. Effective feedback is dependent on communication skills and as such, it is vital that the message intended by the sender is understood by the receiver in the same terms.

Generalised feedback that is not related to specific facts and does not give advice on how to improve behaviour

Generalised feedback is unhelpful and can be confusing. The person receiving feedback remains unclear about the actual purpose of the session and usually starts exploring hidden agendas that might have triggered the feedback. It disrupts professional relationships and causes unnecessary suspicion.

A lack of respect for the source of feedback

We all tend to accept feedback more from people we value. In the opposite case, it is advised that you ask another colleague that was present to provide informal feedback rather than doing it yourself as otherwise, this might impact on professional relationships and feedback will be ignored.

Fear of upsetting your colleague or damaging your professional relationship with them

The person giving feedback might be different from the recipient in terms of sex, age, hierarchy, and educational and cultural background. These factors may result in a demotivating feedback session. Therefore, feedback needs to be given in a supportive, empathic and relaxed manner, and on a background of a working relationship based on mutual respect.

The recipient of feedback being resistant or defensive when receiving it

Poor handling of situations in which the recipient is resistant or defensive can result in a dismissive approach; therefore, feedback will be disregarded.

Physical barriers

Giving feedback loudly in a noisy corridor, or in the presence of other colleagues or patients, is inappropriate. Such feedback loses its objectivity and the recipient may consider this as an insult that will impact their professional relationship with their peers and patients.

Language barrier or lack of knowledge regarding cultural diversity

Language and cultural barriers convey unclear messages and result in unclassified assumptions. It is important to confirm the message sent is the message that is actually received. All feedback sessions should be held in a respectful and supportive manner.

Personal agendas

Personal agendas should not influence feedback. As soon as you realise this is a possibility, it is best not to give feedback as this will be perceived by the recipient negatively. Personal reflection will identify the reasons behind this and will be crucial in improving this aspect.

Lacking confidence

A person given feedback who lacks confidence may exhibit shyness, difficulty in being assertive, or lack of awareness of their own rights and opportunities.

Tips for and principles of giving effective feedback

When preparing to give feedback, think about what you would like to achieve. What do you want to highlight, what went well and where could there be some improvements? Table 2 summarises tips on giving feedback. Planning in advance is crucial to the process. Planning should encounter to whom you are giving feedback. There is no “one-size fits all” approach; feedback should be tailored to each individual and the corresponding situation. It is of vital importance that you reflect carefully about how you want to convey your message and focus on a couple of key points without overwhelming the learner. The learner might not be ready ( i.e. not receptive), which could have adverse effects. Therefore, think about how they will react to the feedback and what your response might be.

Tips on giving effective feedback

Generally, you will provide one-on-one feedback and you must make sure to give it privately. Offering public feedback will only be perceived as a criticism by the learner and overall it may have detrimental effects on departmental relationships. The learner may feel insulted and undermined whereas their self-confidence will also be affected as they feel this may result in losing their colleagues’ respect. On some occasions, it is possible to give group feedback but then you need to restrict your feedback to the group as a whole without singling out individuals.

It is best to ensure that feedback is given in a timely manner, i.e. as soon after the event as possible, and most organisations will have a regular feedback scheduled (weekly or monthly). However, should the situation mandate it, you can schedule an ad hoc session. Feedback and reflection work best when the memory is still fresh. When feedback is given with great delay ( i.e. months after the incident), then its objectivity will be debated.

In preparing for the feedback, think of specific situations and, if you want to highlight some negative actions, potential alternatives. Do not bring up past actions unless you wish to underscore a certain behaviour or pattern. Also, focus on tasks, actions and objective events rather than personality traits, which tend to be more subjective.

When giving feedback, start off gently trying to implement one of the feedback models mentioned above. For example, you could ask the learner how they think things went. This will give you insight into their experience and enables you to assess how well they can judge their actions, behaviour or performance. Encourage self-reflection as this will allow the learner to be mindful of their actions or behaviour ( table 3 ). As a rule, start with the positive and then move on to negative events. Be very specific and give examples of certain actions or situations, and use “I” when giving feedback.

Open-ended questions for giving feedback that encourage self-reflection

“When you said…, I thought that you were…”

Moreover, link the feedback to the learner’s overall development and/or stated outcomes, which might provide an additional reason for being receptive to the feedback.

Finally, be aware of nonverbal clues, such as your facial expression, body language, posture, voice and eye contact. These might convey their own message, which could be in contrast with what you are trying to achieve.

• Emotions are deduced through facial expression. Thus, smile in the correct manner to express warmth and goodwill.
• Eye contact creates a feeling of connection but can also be too intense. Make eye contact without staring.
• The way we feel about different people effects the way we speak. The tone and the volume of your voice can give away how you feel. Try to match body language, how you use your voice and tone in a natural way.
• Avoid looking strict by keeping your arms crossed or like you don’t care by sitting slumped. An open posture gives the expression of an open conversation.
• Stressed situations make us breathe faster; when we are tired, it is easy to sigh more. Long breaths make us calmer and are likely to make people around us calmer. Try to take a few deep breaths before giving feedback.
• Smartphones and screens with emails, Facebook messages, recent meetings or phone calls: there are so many things to steal our attention and this can only be evident. The person in front of you will notice when you are looking at the screen, and you are less likely to hear and understand what they are saying. Focus your attention on the person in front of you when giving feedback and when you are listening. After giving the feedback, reflect on how it went. Did it go as you expected and how do think it was perceived by the learner? Sometimes, you can misjudge the delivery of your feedback but make sure you learn from this for the next time. Every learner is different and requires a different approach.

In the end, remember to summarise the session in a letter/e-mail and to follow up on what has been discussed. Feedback aims to improve performance and it is advised that time is given to the recipient of feedback to rectify behaviours, then proceed with a follow up session to measure whether or not that is happening, and then make adjustments as you go.

Receiving feedback

A learner-centred approach is often recommended to effectively receive feedback. This involves adopting an open-minded listening strategy, reflection and a willingness to improve one’s performance. The recipients of the feedback are asked to evaluate their own performance and assess how their actions impact others. This approach works best when the feedback is ongoing, regular, supportive, and originating from a wide range of reliable and valid external sources. When this is not the case, the learners may not have sufficient understanding to self-assess and correct behaviours that may hinder their development. However, when constructive feedback is used wisely, it can positively impact the learners’ personal and professional development.

It is very helpful to receive feedback from leaders/teachers in real time and firsthand. When the learner is unable to respond positively, however, this often inhibits the feedback providers from giving direct face-to-face, personalised feedback on a regular basis. Learners’ responses to criticism may present in negative ways ( i.e. anger, denial, blaming or rationalisation), particularly when they discount their own ability to take responsibility for their learning. It is important to view feedback as a means to reflect on strengths and weaknesses, and build on previously learned competencies. The result will be increased confidence and independence, while facilitating a stronger rapport with colleagues, other medical staff and patients.

In order for feedback to be effective, it has to be received well. How a recipient interprets and reacts to feedback is very important to the outcome of the teacher–learner relationship and future learning opportunities. Differing interpretations or uptakes of feedback may be based on a number of factors that include: personality, fear, confidence, context and individual reasoning processes. It is essential to develop an open dialogue between the person giving feedback and the recipient. Differences of opinion should be handled in a professional manner. Both parties should be comfortable, and able to focus on actively listening, engaging, reflecting and developing action points for future development. Effective communication is key to a successful feedback interaction.

Table 4 presents tips to the learner on receiving constructive feedback.

Tips for receiving feedback

Be a good listener

First, truly listen to what the feedback provider is saying, instead of immediately preparing a response, defence or attack. The feedback provider will feel more comfortable giving feedback if you are approachable and welcoming.

When in doubt, ask for clarification

If you did not hear it clearly the first time, politely ask for it to be repeated, then restate it in your own words. This will help you understand more about yourself and how others interpret your actions.

Embrace the feedback session as a learning opportunity

Assume that the feedback is constructive until proven otherwise, then consider and use those elements that are truly constructive. Thinking about your own actions in the context of the feedback provider’s comments is beneficial to making appropriate changes.

Remember to pause and think before responding

Your aim is to have a professional conversation that benefits you. Focus on understanding the feedback first, not on your immediate innate reaction. Reflection, and particularly self-reflection, is essential to feedback acceptance.

Avoid jumping to conclusions, and show that you are invested in the learning process and keen to improve

Ask for clarification and examples if statements are general, unclear or unsupported. It is important to validate the feedback by inviting details and specifics about the criticism. Assuming the feedback provider’s comments as reality, in the context of their perceptions and impressions, defuses your own negative feelings in the face of criticism.

Think positively and be open to helpful hints

You will get more out of the feedback session if you accept the comments positively (for consideration) rather than dismissively (for self-protection). You may disagree with the criticism if the facts are incorrect but this should be done in a graceful manner.

Learn from your mistakes and be motivated

Ask for suggestions of ways you might modify or change your behaviour. Do not be afraid to ask for advice on what and how to do differently. Seek to meet expectations and promptly address the undesired behaviours.

Be a good sport and show appreciation

Be respectful throughout the discussion and thank the person giving feedback. Being polite and appreciative will encourage future feedback.

Be proactive

Try out some of the suggestions, and make careful notes regarding any improvements and changes in behaviour. Following-up with the feedback provider enables the receiver to share how the feedback was helpful.

Giving and receiving effective feedback are skills that are central in healthcare settings. The whole process is closely linked with professional development and improved performance. Both of these impact the quality of healthcare services and patient satisfaction. Feedback should be constructive by focusing on behaviours that can be improved. Developing robust professional relationships is a prerequisite for giving/receiving constructive feedback that will act as a powerful motivator.

Conflict of interest None declared.

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• Classroom Assessment, Reflection, & Feedback

In 2011, Offerdahl and Tomanek completed a case study of three university science professors. The purpose of the study was to see if introducing the instructors to formative assessment techniques (such as using clickers to poll students on their understanding of topics during lectures) would impact the instructors’ attitudes about assessment. Prior to being introduced to the techniques, all three instructors indicated that the primary purpose of assessment was evaluation—it allowed them to gather the information necessary for the assignment of grades. However, two semesters later, the instructors revealed a broader conception. They now saw the benefit of using assessments early and often—as formative and often ungraded check-ins—to see how well students understood the topic before it was too late. As Offerdahl and Tomanek put it, the instructors moved from a conception of “assessment of learning” to one of “assessment for learning” (p. 782).

The change in thinking about assessment that Offerdahl and Tomanek describe in these three instructors is reflected in the current literature on best practices in assessment. Assessments can be more helpful to both students and teachers when they are thought of as tools that instructors can use to understand how the learning is going (Fernsten & Fersten, 2005). From this perspective, assessment is not about evaluating students’ performance and finding it either good enough or lacking, which has been the traditional view. We teach because we want students to be able to do and understand certain things. Assessment allows us to check in on how the process is going.

Prior to assessing students’ work, particularly when a grade is at stake, it is crucial to set clear guidelines about the nature of the work that is expected (Fersten & Fernsten, 2005). Students report wanting clearer prompts and more guidance on assignments, particularly those that ask them to reflect on their learning process or evaluate their own progress (Parkes & Kadjer, 2010). Ideally well in advance of when a project or presentation is due, students should have a clear idea of the characteristics of a good and poor submission (Sendziuk, 2010). Nilson (2010) recommends giving detailed instructions and a rationale for all major assignments. If students understand why they are being asked to complete a particular project, they will likely be more engaged while completing it. Fernsten and Fernsten (2010) caution that “strategic” (p. 305) prompts are both specific (e.g., What did you think about the book? is too vague to be effective) and, in requiring students to make a claim, they push students toward being autonomous learners, which is truly the goal of higher education. Some find rubrics to be helpful tools in communicating expectations for an assignment to students (Parkes & Kadjer, 2010); however, others caution that rubrics can be too generic to provide meaningful feedback (Sendziuk, 2010). The bottom line is that, when it comes to classroom assessment, students are better able to tailor their efforts to produce a product that satisfies the expectations of the instructor when they know ahead of time what those expectations are.

After setting clear expectations for what the qualities of a good assignment are, the next priority is to give timely and constructive feedback to students about their submitted work. Sendziuk (2010) describes how nearly 22% of students polled indicated they never bothered to pick up graded work (let alone read the instructor’s comments). When asked to explain why, most students described previously having received little to no personalized comments on their written work, leading them to conclude it simply wasn’t worth it. Instructors can change this pattern by providing detailed and personalized comments on students’ work, and/or following in Sendziuk’s footsteps and crafting follow-up assignments that prompt students to engage with instructor feedback by requiring they revise a draft in light of the instructors’ comments for a new grade. Griesbaum and Görtz (2010) describe how feedback is an important instructional tool. It directs learners’ attention to certain aspects of their performance. When learners receive information about how they have performed, they are then in the position to adjust subsequent performances, hopefully moving themselves progressively closer to the desired standard. Instructors should keep in mind that students feel vulnerable when receiving feedback. The feedback should focus on the performance or product, not the person, and, after hearing it, students have a clear idea of how to improve (Sendziuk, 2010).

Recent work on best practices in classroom assessment has revealed a number of important characteristics. Among other characteristics, good assessment is “ process-oriented ” (i.e., focuses on the route to high achievement, not solely on the end goal of achievement itself), “ open-ended” (i.e., seeks creative answers), “ values contextualized communicative tasks” , “ uses criterion-referenced scores” , and involves “ individualized feedback” (Kurt, 2014, p. 333). As mentioned earlier, good assessment is often ongoing . If learning is assessed in an ongoing manner, instructors avoid the pitfall of getting to the end of a unit and only realizing after the tests come back that students failed to grasp important concepts (Nilson, 2010). Some scholars argue that good assessment is ungraded . Parkes and Kadjer (2010) discuss how learning goes deeper when students are able to take risks, which they often feel more comfortable doing on diagnostic, ungraded assessments (in this case, students reflected on their learning processes via video blogs). Sendziuk (2010) argues that good assessment promotes autonomy . When students are aware of expectations and understand the assessment process they become able to assess their own work and they are less dependent on the professor. Garland and Kolkmeyer (2011) describe how faculty partnerships can be used to discuss assessment options and improve assessment practices.

Methods of assessment that are likely to meet some or all of the above-named best practices include learning portfolios and e-portfolios (e-portfolios are online portfolios where students document their learning via constructing a website) (Fernsten & Fernsten, 2005; Nilson, 2010), blog and video blog (vlog) posts (Parkes & Kadjer, 2010), and written reflections. For example, students could be asked to submit a brief cover letter with a revised draft describing the changes made (Harvey, 2009). Students may also be asked to reflect on their work processes rather than products (Fernsten & Fernsten, 2005). Fernsten and Fernsten (2005) caution that it is important not to punish students for revealing negative aspects of their work processes, unless what they reveal violates ethical practices for the submission of academic work. In the example they give, if a student has written a good paper but reveals in his reflection that he waited until the last minute to start writing, resist the temptation to lower his grade. The authors argue that what the student learns from what it felt like to write the paper in this rushed manner is all part of the learning process and, if instructors punish students for telling the truth in their reflections, they will quickly end up getting sanitized reflections that only reflect what students think the instructor wants to hear and defeat the purpose of this reflective exercise.

  Written by Julia Hayden Galindo, Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education

References:

Fernsten, L. & Fernsten, J. (2005). Portfolio assessment and reflection: Enhancing learning through reflective practice. Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 6 (2), 303-309.

Garland , L. & Kolkmeyer, K. (2011). A culture of conversation: Faculty talk as meaningful assessment of learning communities. TETYC, 231-243.

Griesbaum, J. & Görtz, M. (2010). Using feedback to enhance collaborative learning: An exploratory study concerning the added value of self- and peer-assessment by first-year students in a blended learning lecture. International Journal on E-Learning, 9 (4), 481-503.

Harvey, G. (2009). Harvard writing project brief guide series: A brief guide to designing essay assignments. Harvard College Writing Program.

Kurt, M. (2014). Collaborative assessment:  Fostering ownership in assessment. Education, 134(3), 332-339.

Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors . San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass.

Offerdahl, E. G. & Tomanek, D. (2011). Changes in instructors’ assessment thinking related to experimentation with new strategies. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36 (7), 781-795.

Parkes, K. A. & Kadjer, S. (2010). Eliciting and assessing reflective practice:  A case study in web 2.0 technologies. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22 (2), 218-228.

Sendziuk, P. (2011). Sink or Swim?  Improving student learning through feedback and self-assessment. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22 (3), 320-330.

Further Resources:

• Lederman, D. (February, 2010).  Assessment disconnect.  Inside Higher Ed, 27.  Retrieved August 21, 2014 from: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/27/aacu
• Rickards, W. H., Diez, M. E., Ehley, L., Guildbault, L. F., Loaker, G., Hart, J. R., & Smith, P. C.  (2008).  Learning, reflection and electronic portfolios: Stepping toward an assessment practice.  Journal of General Education, 57 (1), 31-50.
• Schön, D. A.  (1983).  The structure of reflection-in-action.  The reflective practitioner:  How professionals think in action, (pp. 128-167).  New York, NY: Basic Books.
• Authentic Learning (Simulations, Lab, Field)
• Expanding Depth and Breadth
• Fostering Motivation
• Group & Cooperative Learning; Students as Classroom Leaders
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5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback

Feedback is an essential part of learning, but not all of it is productive. We’ve collected five best practices for giving students feedback.

In recent years, research has confirmed what most teachers already knew: Providing students with meaningful feedback can greatly enhance their learning and achievement.

Professor James Pennebaker from the University of Texas at Austin has been researching the benefits of frequent testing and the feedback it leads to. He explains that in the history of the study of learning, the role of feedback has always been central: “When people are trying to learn new skills, they must get some information that tells them whether or not they are doing the right thing. Learning in the classroom is no exception. Both the mastery of content and, more importantly, the mastery of how to think require trial-and-error learning.”

The downside, of course, is that not all feedback is equally effective, and it can even be counterproductive, especially if it’s presented in a solely negative or corrective way.

So what exactly are the most effective ways to use feedback in educational settings?

Although there is no quick or easy answer to this question, here are five research-based tips for providing students with the kind of feedback that will increase motivation, build on existing knowledge, and help them reflect on what they’ve learned.

1. Be as Specific as Possible

In a review of the available research titled “ The Power of Feedback ,” University of Auckland professors Helen Timperley and John Hattie highlight the importance of supplying learners with specific information about what they are doing right or wrong.

For example, feedback like “Great job!” doesn’t tell the learner what he did right, and likewise, a statement such as “Not quite there yet” doesn’t give her any insight into what she did wrong and how she can do better the next time around.

Instead, researchers suggest taking the time to provide learners with information on what exactly they did well, and what may still need improvement. They also note that it can be helpful to tell the learner what he is doing differently than before.

Has a student’s performance changed or improved since the last time you assessed her? Let her know about it, even if she still has a long way to go.

2. The Sooner the Better

Numerous studies indicate that feedback is most effective when it is given immediately, rather than a few days, weeks, or months down the line.

In one study that looked at delayed versus immediate feedback , the researchers found that participants who were given immediate feedback showed a significantly larger increase in performance than those who received delayed feedback.

Another research project , from the University of Minnesota, showed that students who received lots of immediate feedback were better able to comprehend the material they had just read.

Of course, it’s not always possible to provide students with feedback right on the spot, but sooner is definitely better than later.

3. Address the Learner’s Advancement Toward a Goal

Timperley and Hattie note that effective feedback is most often oriented around a specific achievement that students are (or should be) working toward. When giving feedback, it should be clear to students how the information they are receiving will help them progress toward their final goal.

4. Present Feedback Carefully

The way feedback is presented can have an impact on how it is received, which means that sometimes even the most well-meaning feedback can come across the wrong way and reduce a learner’s motivation.

Psychologist and author Edward Deci has identified three situations in which feedback could be counterproductive:

When learners feel too strictly monitored: If learners feel that they are being too closely monitored, they might become nervous or self-conscious, and as a result, disengaged from learning.

When learners interpret feedback as an attempt to control them: Learners may sometimes interpret feedback as an attempt to control them or tell them how they should be doing something rather than guidance on how to improve.

When learners feel an uncomfortable sense of competition: Feedback shared in a group setting could cause learners to feel like they have to compete with their peers. This can be another source of disengagement in learning.

To avoid these situations, Deci suggests fully explaining the purpose of any monitoring, and ensuring that learners understand how the feedback is meant to help them compete against their own personal bests rather than each other.

5. Involve Learners in the Process

The importance of involving learners in the process of collecting and analyzing performance-based data cannot be understated. Pennebaker says, “Students must be given access to information about their performance.... At the broadest level, students need to know if they actually have mastered the material or not. Giving them information about the ways they are studying, reading, searching for information, or answering questions can be invaluable.”

When students have access to this information, they develop an awareness of their learning, and are more easily able to recognize mistakes and eventually develop strategies for tackling weak points themselves.

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Feedback from Self-Reflection

• Self-Reflection on Teaching ( University of Washington )
• What Critically Reflective Teaching Is and Why It’s Important ( University of St. Thomas )
• The University of Colorado Teaching Quality Framework Colorado prompts one to consider 7 dimensions of effective teaching ( University of Colorado )
• The University of Southern California’s Center for Urban Education  has provided a syllabus review tool for faculty members to reflect and examine how they have implemented equity-minded practices into their courses ( University of Southern California )
• Articulating Your Teaching Philosophy ( Teaching@Tufts )
• The Evaluation webpage from Teaching@Tufts compiles online resources on midterm feedback, student evaluations, peer observation, self-reflection, teaching philosophy statements, and teaching portfolios.
• Feedback from Students
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• Feedback from Scholarship

How to Use Assignment Feedback

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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If you’re like me, assignment feedback can depress the heck out of you! Sometimes I want to throw it away and never look at it again.

If you’re like me, you’ll also probably look first at your grade and everything else matters less: the feedback is far less important to you than your overall grade.

Top students see negative feedback on a paper as a good thing. It’s another opportunity to get ahead.

In this post, I outline how to use feedback on your paper to grow your mark and get ahead.

If you use the following thirteen steps, you can bring substantial improvements to your own assignments in the future.

What’s the point of Feedback? Assignment feedback isn’t a chance for your teacher to be mean or rank you against your peers.

Feedback is not about being judged or talked down to. Feedback is all about YOU and no one else.

Feedback is the opportunity you get to check yourself, see how you’re going, and look for opportunities to improve.

Assignment feedback is about personal growth.

1. Start with a Growth Mindset

Having a growth mindset means that you believe you have the ability to improve. People with a growth mindset think that they are in control of their own future and actively go about achieving their goals.

If you approach assignment feedback with a growth mindset you’ll be on track to improving.

If you approach feedback with a sense that improving is out of your control, you’re never going to improve.

Here are three simple thoughts you need to put out of your mind right away:

• I’m not good enough . Did I ever tell you how average a student I was in my undergraduate degree? If I can go from average student to Ph.D. at 24 , so can you. Believe in yourself.
• The teacher’s a jerk. This might be true. But, let’s face it, unless you got the top mark in the class, you didn’t get the maximum grade your teacher gives out. That means that you’ve got room for improvement. So don’t blame the teacher. Improvement is in your hands.
• I don’t want to think about it. I get it. Burnout sucks. So feel free to forget about that feedback for a little while. But at some point, you’ve got to tackle it. So get in a positive mindset: I’m here to improve. Come at me, world.

Want some motivation? Check out this awesome and inspiring YouTube video about growth mindsets from Khan Academy:

2. Figure out your Teacher’s Pet Peeves

All teachers have something that is a huge pet peeve. Some have many.

For me, one pet peeve is apostrophes . A misplaced apostrophe jumps off the page at me and makes me think: Poor editing. Sloppy.”

I had a colleague once who couldn’t stand when a paper didn’t use the correct margin sizes. Seriously! He would flip out and cut students’ marks. Personally, I couldn’t care less about the margins!

When looking over your teacher’s feedback, take note of what little things they really seemed overly picky about. Was it the referencing style? The fact that you used first-person language? Your over-use of a certain word?

Take note. If your teacher has given you strong feedback on something that no other teacher has bothered to mention, you’ll need to adjust your writing style for that teacher.

Feedback is your opportunity to read your teacher and find out what you need to do in order to avoid their pet peeves in the future.

3. Read it. Then Forget it. For a while.

I hate assignment feedback.

My Ph.D. supervisor would give me my work back with red marks all through it . It would be so depressing. I’d be mad at her for days and days. I worked my tail off on that work! I took on all your feedback and it’s still not good enough!?

I developed a strategy:

Check the grade. Read the feedback. All of it. Then put it away for at least two days.

Don’t email your teacher yet. Don’t bitch about her to your friends. Just forget about it.

You’ll find that when you come back to the feedback two days later the emotion is gone. You’ll not look at the mark but look through the feedback to see what you can pick out of it that you can use in the future.

Be very careful about contacting your teacher about the feedback. You want to take those two days to let it soak in before sending out an email.

You have no idea how many emotional emails I get from students that probably have been much more carefully (and professionally!) worded if they’d only taken a few days to sit on the marks and let the emotions settle a little.

4. Make a Table

Tables are amazing for working through assignment feedback. They help you to sort out your thoughts and consider ways in which you can improve your work.

I follow a very simple format that I’ve used for years with great success. Whenever I write an academic paper for publication in journals I use this method – and let me tell you, the feedback in peer review is brutal!

Here’s a simple example of a feedback table:

The key to your table is to list all the assignment feedback you received on the left and provide space on the right for you to fill in how you’d like to improve on that work for next time.

Brainstorm ways you can improve on the points your teacher wants you to improve on, and list all the ways you think you can do this. Aim also to link these changes to the next assessment, i.e: “In future assessments, I will…”

In this way, you’re turning feedback into feed-forward.

5. Find just Three Action Points (and One point for Praise)

Sometimes there’s too much feedback to handle. If you’re looking at a piece of paper with big red marks scribbled up and down the margins, I recommend finding just three key points that you think you can work on – and putting the rest aside for now.

Here are a few major ones to focus on in the beginning:

• Not enough referencing. If your teacher wrote this, it’s an easy one to fix – so start with it. I recommend reading my post on how to find scholarly sources to get started solving this issue.
• Add depth or be more critical. These two often mean the same thing. This is also one of the biggest pieces of assignment feedback teachers give. It’s really cryptic, so I’ve broken down how to address this issue in my post on how to show critical thinking in an essay.
• Write more clearly. Again, this a major one – which is why I formulated my perfect paragraph formula to help you out.

The trick with choosing action points is that you want to find ones that you think you have a realistic chance of working on.

If your negative feedback was on something specific to that previous class that you just finished, you’re better off focusing on the general feedback that you can put into action in the next course.

Remember to celebrate the Positives While you’re at it, note down one point of praise. Note down something you did well and give yourself a moment to congratulate yourself. Feel good about the fact that you had one little win even in a sea of negative feedback.

6. Forget about the Grade

Feedback and the grade need to be seen as two entirely separate points.

I recommend leaving the assignment feedback aside until you’ve come to terms with your grade. If you attach the feedback to the grade you’ll not be looking at it with clear eyes.

Teachers hate when students email them and say “why did I only get that grade?”

That’s totally the wrong question. This question instantly signifies to the teacher that all you care about is the mark and not whether or not you actually learned anything!

The right questions to ask your teacher are:

• Please explain the feedback
• Please explain one specific point in the feedback
• What advice do you have for improvement?

The next step examines approaching your teacher for feedback in a little more detail.

7. Go to your Teacher

Ensure you’ve left it for two days at least between reading the feedback the first time and contacting your teacher.

Then, email your teacher and either:

• Ask for a one-to-one discussion during open office hours or a convenient time; or
• Provide no more than three questions you want clarification on.

Asking for further details or clarification on feedback is your right. You paid a lot of money to do this degree – make the most of it.

I recommend no more than three questions. If you ask more than three questions in an email you’ll find your teacher gets vague and doesn’t cover all three of them at once. List the three questions in number format and ask the questions in full sentences.

To get the best response, it’s important not to seem defensive. Open the email with a thank you in recognition of their work in providing feedback in the first place. Then, ask the teacher to clarify each point.

You could ask:

• Whether they can point out specific points in your paper where the feedback is relevant to help you get a better understanding;
• To clarify their expectations for the next piece; or
• Ask for any tips on how to achieve their advice (is there a source they recommend that explains this idea they’ve presented to you in their feedback?)

I’ve provided an email for just this very purpose in my free email template booklet, which has email templates for any scenario:

If you’ve asked for a one-to-one discussion, make sure you print the assignment feedback and a copy of your paper when you attend the meeting. There’s nothing worse than a student who attends a meeting without questions and works to show.

8. Show your teacher how you used the feedback to Improve in the Next Assignment

This one’s the clincher. Literally, show them how you used their feedback. Put evidence that you used their feedback right under their nose. I recommend that you meet with the teacher before you submit your next piece and point out how you used their feedback.

When it comes time to show your teacher the draft for your next piece of work, come to the meeting with your table (see step 3) to show how you’ve taken their feedback into account.

Then, point out exactly where in your paper you’ve put their feedback into action.

Because you met with your teacher and showed them how you used their feedback, they will be primed and ready to recognize where and how you put their feedback into action when they mark your work.

If you don’t take the step of meeting with the teacher, there’s a good chance they won’t recognize all the effort you put into using their feedback.

Teachers give a lot of feedback – remember, they’ll probably have 40 to 100 other papers to mark just like yours. Your work gets lost in their memory amongst the jumble of other papers they read that one weekend six weeks ago.

Furthermore, meeting with your teacher to show them how you’ve used their feedback will go down really well in convincing them you’re worthy of top marks.

You’ll surely have gotten your teacher on your side and well and truly ready to give you top marks for your next piece of work.

9. List your Goals for next Term / Semester on a Post-It Note

University summer break is very, very long. We’re talking about up to three months of working, traveling, drinking, partying, or whatever else you have on your plate.

By the time you get back to university, you will likely have forgotten a lot of what you learned last semester.

One trick you should get into the habit of using is the post-it note reminder. All you need to do is list your three actionable goals from Step 5 and leave them on a post-it note on your desk for reflection next semester.

It’s so simple: a 2-minute task that will dramatically improve your chances of growing your grade next semester. It’ll get you back in the game and focused for next semester.

And it’ll remind you what your weaknesses are that you need to work on.

10. Keep your Assignment Feedback for Reflection

You should keep a folder on your computer (or in a drawer, if you’re still getting paper feedback) that has all your assignments and feedback kept in there.

In Step 8 I reinforced the importance of using assignment feedback semester-on-semester.

Even though the post-it trick in Week 8 is effective, it’s not quite enough.

You also need to dig deeper. You need to identify trends in your assignment feedback to see what your true weaknesses are.

If one teacher tells you your writing style is no good, that’s one thing. If five teachers in the past two years have told you your writing style needs work, then you’ve got yourself a real problem.

So, keep your assignment feedback and every now and then, go back to the stack of feedback and try to identify trends.

If you know your weaknesses, you’ll be able to work on them and turn them into strengths.

11. Be Humble.

In my experience, the angriest, obnoxious, self-assured students are often the ones who least deserve the top marks.

If I’m honest, I think I know the reason for this. These are the students who have dug themselves into their own delusions that they deserve the top marks because they’re talented .

The problem here is that these students lack a growth mindset . They never took assignment feedback on board and used it to improve. Ergo, they never improved.

Humility is a skill that will serve you well. Regularly, you are given feedback from teachers reinforcing the fact that your work – your mind – has faults. You’re not perfect. That sucks to hear, but it’s true!

Whenever you get assignment feedback, remember that this is the time for humility and good grace. Even if you disagree with your teacher, approach the situation with the recognition that you still have much to learn.

You might even find that being polite, humble, and genuine about your desire for help will endear you to your teacher and help you convince them to take it easier on you next time around.

12. Turn Negative Feedback into a Talking Point

At some point in your life you’re going to get this question in a job interview: “what is your biggest weakness?”

You can use teacher feedback to answer this question in a way that will move you to the top of the pile.

Your future boss is really asking you this:

• Are you aware of your faults?
• How do you address them?

There is a very easy formula for answering this question. It goes like this:

• Here’s a weakness a mentor identified;
• Here’s how I have worked to overcome it

If you’ve got a piece of feedback that occurs regularly, I recommend turning it into your talking point for showing how you have a growth mentality. Let people know what the weakness is, and what you’re doing to address it.

To really hit this point out of the park, you can give an indication of the progress you have made. Talk about how once you got feedback on your research or writing style (your weakness), and you actively addressed it by booking library workshop seminars.

After taking the seminars, you noticed your grades started to rise! You overcame a weakness!

13. Use the Internet to Improve on your Weaknesses

You’re here. You already took the first big step towards teaching yourself to use the internet.

Even if your teacher is a monster who gives totally useless assignment feedback and is impossible to understand, you still have the power to improve your marks.

Make the most out of free online resources. I’d recommend making it a part of your social media and internet downtime routine to browse around your favorite student support websites for little golden bits of information about how to improve your marks.

If you listen to ‘write more clearly’ as one of your three actionable goals in Point 5, then google “how to write more clearly”. It’s really that easy to get started!

Here are three types of online resources you can use to teach yourself:

• Blogs . Of course, I recommend my blog: Helpfulprofessor.com . But there’s more out there, like Scribendi.com and Grammar Girl that are really useful for learning how to increase your grades.
• Podcasts . My personal favorite resource that I have created is my podcast . I have so many students who don’t, particularly like reading blogs but are happy to listen to me explain my secret strategies for success. If you don’t like my podcast, try Marion Hegarty’s Grammar Girl podcast – it’s sublime.
• YouTube Videos . Use a YouTube search to learn anything you like – like how to paraphrase better, how to use quotes more effectively, or even simple study tips.

Using feedback for self-growth is a secret weapon of top students. While most students hate the frustration of bad assignment feedback and never want to look at it ever again, top students see it as another opportunity to get that little bit further ahead in their pursuit of an amazing degree.

Use your assignment feedback to fuel your desire for top marks.

In this article, I’ve recommended five strategies that top students use to get ahead using assignment feedback. These are:

How to Use Assignment Feedback to Improve your Grades

• Start with a Growth Mindset
• Figure out your Teacher’s Pet Peeves
• Read it. Then Forget it. For a while.
• Make a Table
• Find just Three Action Points (and One point for Praise)
• Forget about the Grade
• Go to your Teacher
• Show your teacher how you used the feedback to Improve in the Next Assignment
• List your Goals for the next Term / Semester on a Post-It Note
• Keep your Feedback for Reflection
• Turn Negative Feedback into a Talking Point
• Use the Internet to Improve on your Weaknesses

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Green Flags in a Relationship
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Signs you're Burnt Out, Not Lazy
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Toxic Things Parents Say to their Children

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Jessica McIntosh's ePortfolio

Ma1 learning journey, my reflection on feedback.

Personally, I feel that feedback is very beneficial. Feedback is given to improve you as a person and ensure that you can do the job to the best of your ability. I am a dancer and a horse rider and both these sports involve a lot of feedback. You should not feel embarrassed by negative feedback as it is only being given to make you better. Both in horse riding and dancing, I have had private lessons during which I was given a lot of feedback and criticism to take on board. I have learnt not to be offended by it as my teacher only wants me to be the best that I can. Also in group lessons and classes, we learnt to give feedback to each other to ensure that we were all kept safe and that our group could come out on top and win competitions.

The benefits of feedback is that it helps you grow as a group. It makes you feel that you can rely on others and that they will help you when needed. It also helps you to improve your skills and allows you to identify where more work is needed. Also sometimes, having another person’s perspective changes your view on something and allows you to develop a deeper understanding of the topic. However, a disadvantage of peer feedback is that it could be used incorrectly. Sometimes, people respond harshly when they originally didn’t intend to which can led to disagreements and frustration.

I have found that receiving postive feedback makes me feel more confident in my work. Any negative feedback I receive makes me even more determined to work harder to ensure that I do not make the same mistake again. I feel that when you are given feedback, it encourages you to work harder due to the confidence boost and also because you want to prove to the person that you have taken their views on board and have improved.

When given feedback, I find it easy to give positive feedback but I find it more difficult to express the negative feedback. I have learnt that if you word it in a certain way it comes across better. For example – maybe next time, you should think more about…

Feedback is something which is used throughout life and as a teacher it is important to give feedback to pupils and fellow teachers. As a student teacher, I will be receiving a lot of feedback from lectures and teachers on my placement and I understand that not all of it is going to be positive but I know that it will make me even more determined to succeed and try harder.

2 thoughts on “ My reflection on Feedback ”

I really enjoyed reading your post. I agree with what you say about positive feedback building confidence, and how negative feedback can make you all the more determined! It’s sometimes difficult to not take comments personally, but as you say, feedback is something used throughout life, and as teachers we need to embrace the use of it to our advantage and to encourage our pupils in the future.

I love how you associate critical feedback with determination to improve. We could all take a leaf out of your book here! It’s true that no-one can become an expert at what they do without constructive feedback from others, and so I feel that you have a really healthy way of viewing it.

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Building a Habit of Reflection Using Private Journals

“Reflecting, simply put, is the act of thinking about something while seeking a deeper level of understanding” (Bard, 2014, p. 10). Students should spend time in deep thought about their own learning. They should think about what they have learned and the connections that exist between prior knowledge and new knowledge, between information learned in different classes, and between learning inside and outside of class. Online journals in Canvas can provide a private space for students to build a regular habit of reflecting and for instructors to check their progress and provide consistent feedback.

There are some crucial elements to consider when designing reflection assignments. Prompts or assignments should require students to ask themselves critical questions and develop self-awareness and honesty. Student reflections should be well-organized and thorough and include concrete examples. A critical reflection will synthesize different ideas together, to show the relationships between concepts, prior and new knowledge, classroom and real world experiences. A good reflection also shows the ability to analyze ideas and break them down into their component parts and put them together again in new ways (Muncy, 2014). For example, students can be prompted with specific questions about a current assignment. Below are some sample questions:

• What exactly did I learn?
• How have I changed as a result of this experience?
• How did I go about making sense of the information/situation?
• What parts of the experience were the most/least valuable and why?
• How does what I learned relate to what I already knew about the concept?
• How does what I learned relate to my other classes?
• How does what I learned relate to my co‐curricular activities?
• How does what I learned relate to me as a person?
• What specific skills have I practiced/perfected in completing this assignment?
• What specific skills do I need to develop to do an even better job next time?
• What more do I need to learn about the subject/topic/concept?

There are several other considerations for creating an effective assignment. First, students will want to know how/if the assignment will be graded. How often should students engage in reflective activities and what is the criteria in terms of length, content, and quality? Consider using a simple rubric for graded entries. For example, you may have only three criteria: organization, connections to prior knowledge and experiences, and concrete examples. Be careful not to set up assignments in ways that consume too much time, but do provide consistent feedback and comments. Finally, be clear about the purpose of the reflection prompts. Sharing the rationale behind the activity can increase the likelihood that students will put forth significant effort during the task and keep focused on the course learning goals (Muncy, 2014).

Online journals offer a way for students to express their thoughts on what they are learning while they are learning it. Journals also help students activate relevant prior knowledge and make meaningful personal connections to content. Instructors benefit because they can review the journals online to gauge student understanding and adjust assignments as needed. If you are interested in creating an online journal in Canvas, follow the instructions below.

How to Create a Private Journal Assignment in Canvas

To create an individual space for each student to journal privately, follow the steps below. This set up allows each student to return to their private space and make entries throughout the semester. The entries will be time-stamped and can be viewed in Speedgrader if you want to make annotated comments. Canvas Discussions also allow students to include media such as images and links to videos.

• Use the Group tool to create a group space for each student. Create a group set in Canvas and name it “Journals.” The number of groups in the group set you create will be the same as the number of students you have in class. ( How to Create Groups )
• This will create a “discussion” for each individual student where they can submit entries (this area will be their student journal).
• Only you and the student will see this space.It will automatically date each entry they make.
• You can make just one of these group discussions for the whole semester or break it down into weeks.
• All of the entries for each student will show-up in SpeedGrader at once so it is easy to grade them.

If you want to learn more about setting up private journals in Canvas, you can always reach out to the  Learning and Teaching Consultants !

References:

Bard, R. (2014). Focus on learning: Reflective learners & feedback. TESL–EJ, 18(3), 1-18.

Muncy, J.A. (2014). Blogging for reflection: The use of online journals to engage students in reflective learning. Marketing Education Review, 24, 101-113.

Teaching Students to Reflect. Center for Faculty Excellence.  https://www.bgsu.edu/center-for-faculty-excellence.html 

Additional Information:

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Scaffolding and Sequencing Writing Assignments

If You Engage Them, They Will Come: Strategies to Increase Attendance

Simple Ways to Build Connections With Your Students

Tips to Encourage and Increase Student Participation

Improve Student Performance Through Quick Assessment

A Refresh on Writing Quality Multiple Choice Questions