Has feedback improved?

The start of term saw Imperial announce a campaign to improve the assessment of students’ work. Ahead of the end of term surveys, Felix investigates the improvements that have been made. Has the college gone far enough or is there still more that should be done?

The National Student Survey showed assessment and feedback were lagging way behind other areas in college which otherwise scored exceptionally. The Rector, Keith O’Nions called for "strong and concerted action" and recommended a two week feedback deadline.

This deadline is now being implemented in almost every department across college. If a piece of work takes longer to mark, lecturers must justify this to the Director of Undergraduate Studies and inform the students.

The only department not implementing the two week deadline is Civil Engineering, whose "timetable did not permit the change", remarked Alex Dahinten, Deputy President (Education). "They have, however, reduced the average time to return feedback to students considerably over the past years", he added. The department itself was not available for comment.

From my own experience in Biology, lecturers judge the new rules as fair to students even if they generate added pressure for staff. Steve Cook, Head of first year Biology, commented, "For essays, balancing the requirements for speed and consistency in marking is tricky, but this has always been the case. In second year, one exception to the rule has been permitted, a 20+ page bioinformatics project, with one lecturer marking 150 pieces of work. Students are very reasonable and understand the 3 week turnaround given to this project."

However, general consensus among students across departments is that whilst timeliness of feedback has almost certainly improved this year, the quality of feedback is much the same. The main issue raised by students questioned by Felix was that feedback remained impersonal.

"Quality of marking to me is far more important that the speed with which we get it back. Of course I don’t want it back months later as happened in a few instances last year, but a little more one-to-one interaction between lecturer and student would help tremendously", commented a second year biology student.

But students and staff differ in their criteria of what constitutes good feedback. Whilst students call for more detailed personal feedback, many staff readily dismiss its importance.

Frank Berkshire, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Mathematics, told Felix that "Personal feedback is deliberately not aimed to provide a full blow-by-blow account of what has gone wrong, but to indicate where and how, so that students can find their way through to an improvement in performance."

Personal feedback is deliberately not aimed to provide a full blow-by-blow account of what has gone wrong, but to indicate where and how, so that students can find their way through to an improvement in performance Dr Frank Berkshire, Maths Department

Perhaps students also need to broaden their ideas on what constitutes feedback and accept that it comes in a variety of forms, an idea suggested by Alex Dahinten, Deputy President (Education). "A lecturer discussing the major issues in the last coursework is feedback. Red pen annotations on your lab scripts is feedback. Even verbal conversation about the previous coursework is feedback."

Students take feedback very seriously and rightly so. "If College wishes for Imperial to be ‘world-class’ in teaching and learning, then it needs to be ‘world-class’ in feedback as well; lecturers have an obligation to ensure that the feedback students receive is of good quality", said Alex Dahinten.

When students put a great deal of time and effort into a piece of work, they expect their marks to be justified, wrong-doings explained and methods for improvement highlighted. Late and poor quality feedback not only dissatisfies students but prepares them poorly for exams.

With tuition fees for international students of over £20,000, and the prospect of UK/EU fees being trebled to £9000, there is growing consensus among students that they should still get value for money. Rightly so, students should expect nothing more than exceptional standards in all areas of teaching including feedback.

Dissatisfied students have the right to challenge their department over any issues by approaching their year or departmental reps. The rep system can play a vital role in seeking out those members of staff whose feedback does not live up to the standards students expect.

Improving student satisfaction with assessment and feedback is going to be no easy task. Positive steps have certainly been made this term by strict implementation of deadlines and students should recognise that. But they should also not be afraid to speak out and voice their concerns over departments and staff neglecting their obligation to provide decent feedback.

Perhaps a significant shift in mind-set of students is also required of students. We must forget the days of being spoon-fed in school and accept the different nature of university feedback. It is our responsibility to pave our own way forward.