Read the following article, which is available through Taylor & Francis OnlineLinks to an external site. (your institution's library will likely have a subscription to this journal, or try searching for the article's title in Google):
Nicol, D., & McFarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles for good feedback practice, Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199-218.
Note the seven principles for good feedback practice and how might these be applied in practice. Also notice that many of the suggested strategies go beyond mere information transmission, instead promoting active engagement on behalf of the learner.
Good feedback practice
Suggested strategies or techniques
1. Helps clarify what good performance is
Discuss examples of performance – to make explicit what is required.
Provide explicit criteria sheets.
Increase discussion on criteria and standards.
Involve students in peer and self-assessment using criteria.
Devise shared criteria – engage students in co-construction of criteria.
2. Facilitates the development of self-assessment (reflection) in learning
Opportunities to practice regulating learning and reflecting on learning.
Developing self-assessment skills and opportunities to make judgements.
Building evaluative processes by providing peer feedback – structured reflection and self-assessment.
3. Delivers high-quality information to students about their own learning
Provide good quality feedback that helps students troubleshoot their own performance and self-correct.
Relate feedback specifically to criteria, goals, standards.
Provide correcting advice and prioritise areas for improvement.
4. Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning
Offer opportunities to talk about feedback, so building students' understanding of what the feedback means.
Structure small group discussions on feedback, or ask in-class questions to clarify what feedback means.
Encourage peer dialogue to enhance their understanding of what feedback means.
Review feedback and discuss in tutorials; consider how it might be put into action.
5. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem
Build in praise and efforts to build an incremental mindset, where students believe they can improve their performance. Focus on the task not the person.
Build in low-stakes tasks with feedback on progress, rather than high-stakes tasks.
Separate feedback and marks.
Allow for drafts and reworking of tasks.
6. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance
Support future improvement of work by providing opportunities to self-regulate.
Break tasks into parts and give opportunities for feedback on work-in-progress or two stage tasks (e.g. essay plans, frameworks, sketches, etc.).
Talk about action points in class after the feedback is received – what could be improved.
7. Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching
Gain awareness of student progress through regular feedback about student learning, e.g. one minute paper, what questions remain.
Enable students to say where they request feedback.
Have students identify where they are having difficulties or questions.
Have students develop questions.
Consider the following questions:
How might you put two of these principles (or more) into practice to enhance your students' learning experience?
How will this assist learning and how should it make your students feel?
Have a look at your institutional policies on assessment and feedback:
How (and where) do they incorporate the seven principles?
Where do they address the concept of feedback for learning and feedforward?
Have a look at the unit/course you are involved in. How might you embed these principles into the feedback process?