Openly shared feedback. A crazy idea. eAssessment presentation 2013 (online contribution)

Sharing formative feedback openly

A crazy idea?

An example from

Academic Development

Chrissi Nerantzi Juliette Wilson

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP)

• the programme

• social media portfolios

• assessment as learning (Earl, 2003), also authentic

• openly shared formative feedback among tutors and peers via a social media portfolio

Chrissi

personalisation

Juliette

Learning in and outside the classroom: conversation, collaboration and making

Juliette

Juliette

Principles of good feedback

1. Facilitates the development of self-assessment (reflection) in learning.

2. Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning. 3. Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected

standards). 4. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and

desired performance. 5. Delivers high quality information to students about their learning. 6. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem. 7. Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape

the teaching.

(Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D., Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross, D. and Smith, B. 2004, p. 6.)

Chrissi

current LTHE openly shared formative feedback approach

• By tutor – Initially: student asks for feedback (Mark 1: Boud) to

encourage dialogue – From week 5: student asks for specific feedback Mark 2

(Boud) – Commenting: regularly, encouraging reflection

• By peers – ongoing (feedback buddies, action learning sets)

• self-assessment: about week 5 • where: in portfolio as a comment • nature: recognising strengths, also challenging and

stretching to develop critical thinking

Chrissi

source: http://www.mentoringminds.com/developing-21st-century-critical-thinkers-infographic

Why openly shared? Tutor’s perspective

• Formative feedback for learning!

– Learning for the individual – Learning for the group/cohort – Wider stimulation

• Transparency, openness, fairness • More opportunities for wider feedback dialogues • Ongoing peer feedback to increase engagement with feedback and

learning • Wider use of formative feedback> helping others to reflect and self-

assess • Reduce amount of formative feedback by tutor. A more sustainable

solution? • Model openly shared formative feedback practice

Chrissi

numbers

Chrissi

students status total com tutor peers self externals

Alice cc 47 16 20 8 3 5

Arthur public 8 4 4

Bob public 27 11 7 9 1 1

Colin cc 12 7 3 2 1

Darren public 11 9 2 1

Edwin public /pw 16 9 5 2 4

George public 12 10 1 1

Ian public 18 6 9 3 1 2

Jackie cc 43 15 22 5 1 2 3

Jane private 6 6

Joanna public 9 6 3 1

Kathrine public 37 10 20 7 3 4

Neil cc/pw 74 24 21 29 8 2

Philip public 14 7 4 3 2

Robert public 18 7 4 5 2

Sarah private 15 10 3 2 1

Simon public 12 7 3 2 1

totals 379 164 127 82 12 17 20

43%

34%

21%

3%

feedback pie LTHEJan13

tutor

peers

self

externals

Openly shared feedback: Students’ perspective > benefits

It

motivated

me to keep going, and to

consider work as ongoing rather than complete

when I had finished doing it.

Everyone could see it and therefore it

was useful for anyone reading

the post

It meant you received a range

of feedback from a

variety of people

It encouraged

me to read the

work that

others were doing

which must have

enriched my own work.

It contributed to a

more inclusive and open

community

within the cohort.

Juliette

Openly shared feedback: Students’ perspective > benefits

Trying to make it natural rather than forced. Because the feedback was

open I felt under some pressure initially to write well thought out

and structured comments and this

then inhibited a more free flowing feedback

conversation.

Things could be read by anyone and

some comments could be taken out of context.

Feeling comfortable with sharing

the work and asking others to

provide the feedback.

Juliette

effective assessment conversations

• Learning, goal-guided

• Dialogic and interactive

• Scaffolding tools

• Supportive tools of social participation

• Enculturation tools

Ruiz-Primo, M. A. (2011, 17-18)

“The main purpose of assessment conversations is to make students’ thinking evident, or to voice their understanding so that teacher can recognise and act on it to promote learning”

Chrissi

Chrissi

challenges possible solutions

providing formative feedback on a regular basis to all by the tutor is time consuming

•strengthen peer-to-peer feedback •introduce a buddy system from the very beginning •communicate regularity of tutor feedback from the start: up to 5 times? •sample feedback •introduce self-feedback •use cohort feedback

sharing openly feedback: students feel uncomfortable that this is shared

•create safe environment, community •clarify the purpose of this openly-shared feedback for development and learning •agree characteristics of shared feedback practice •priority to be shared with peers and not with the whole world •consider making portfolios private and share only with group

Students might feel judged and embarrassed

Careful formulation of feedback, use Socratic questioning to provide further opportunities to think and consider different perspectives, identify opportunities for further discussion, emphasise on the developmental character of feedback

Does the openly shared feedback work?

Juliette and Chrissi

? ?

Chrissi and Juliette

Any questions?

Locked? Why?

open-up!

References

• Barrett, H. & Carney, J. (2004) Conflicting paradigms and competing purposes in electronic portfolio development. Available at: http://electronicportfolios.org/ portfolios/LEAJournal-BarrettCarney.pdf [accessed 23/02/12].

• Earl, L. M. (2003) Assessment as learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

• Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D., Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross, D. and Smith, B. (2004). Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback, Higher Education Academy in partnership with the University of Central England: Birmingham.

• Ruiz-Primo, M. A. (2011) Informal formative assessment; The role of instructional dialogues in assessing students’ learning, in Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37, pp. 15-24.

• Smith, C. and Nerantzi, C. (2013) ePortfolios: Assessment as learning using social media, in: Miller, D. & Volk, B., E-Portfolio an der Schnittstelle von Studium und Beruf, Münster: Waxmann, pp. 147-166,

contact us!

• Chrissi Nerantzi: c.nerantzi@salford.ac.uk / @chrissinerantzi

• Juliette Wilson: j.v.wilson@edu.salford.ac.uk / @juliettephd