Benefits and Challenges of Feedback in Higher Learning Institutions - Literature review Example

Benefits and Challenges of Feedback in Higher Learning Institutions Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date of Submission Executive Summary This study explores several literatures and empirical findings to identify benefits and challenges that face feedback in higher educational institution. This is with a view to eliminate the challenges so that the students can reap maximum benefits from them. To attain this objective, the study has looked at what various authors and research findings have discussed according to the topic. Empirical findings have been obtained from one of the institutions of higher learning to determine exactly what the students on the ground perceive the importance and challenges of the feedback. Conclusion follows to wrap up the whole study. The last part is the recommendation that will propose the needed strategy to combat the challenges of the feedback and reinforce the existing benefits. Table Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Background 5 Report 6 Data collection 6 Results 6 Conclusion 8 Recommendations 9 Benefits and Challenges of Feedback in Higher Learning Institutions 1.0. Introduction Feedback in education refers to the process by which a students’ learning output or effects are communicated back so that he can improve on them during the next course of action. It is a very essential part of training and education programs. In brief, feedbacks enable learners to be aware about their areas of strength, and those that need improvement so that they can raise them in the next period of training. It is important to note that feedback needs not to be formal. There are circumstances where it can be formal and others where it may be informal. It may be formal as manifested in the written tests and informal in daily interaction between the student and the professor. 2.0 Background According to Price et al. (2010), before the instructors’ think of benefits and challenges of the feedbacks, they have to consider first, the effectiveness of the measuring instrument. When the instrument is effective, which is determined by the available resources and student satisfaction, their effective level of satisfaction will be reached. They assert that the effectiveness of the instrument will be in turn determined by the purpose of the feedback being taken into consideration. Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2013), notes that feedback is a guide towards better results. After formative assessments, students are normally eager to know where they had gone wrong, and will always go on to seek the possible remedy so that they can change the situation. There will be a focus on the next examinations for them to get better marks. Feedback has also been seen as a basis for learning. This happens when students perceive it after assessments as the basis of learning new materials. Feedback also fosters the relationship between the lecturer and the students. This occurs when students seek lecturers’ clarifications as the latter writes comments for them about the last mistakes to rectify. The lecturer also from the feedback aims to achieve better teaching method that fosters interaction between them (Rowe, 2011; Omorogiiuwa, 2013). The other benefit that arises in feedback is motivation. When instructors affirm students in class, learning motivation is enhanced and the connection between motivation and learning cannot be oversimplified (Price et al., 2010). Feedback is also an emotional regulator especially when there is anxiety in students. The contrary is true because lack of feedback elicits negative feelings on students towards a teaching staff. When instructors do not bring feedback, learners feel disrespected and in some cases, unrecognized. Moreover, instructors also do express a sense of care to their students when they bring the feedback. Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2013), add that feedback is vital in helping them understand what the good quality of learning is. As concerns feedback challenges in higher learning, the students normally find that there are a lot of difficulty when trying to interpret the feedbacks from the lecturers. Students also fear open scrutiny they encounter when trying to find the best response for the questions. The other challenge that may arise will be time-consuming processes on the part of the instructor. It demands a lot of time during scoring and going through them in class so that all students understand where they went wrong (Kane & Staiger, 2012). The other major challenge to feedback is the objectivity of marking by the instructors. If the instructors awarding marks become subjective, the feedback may not satisfy the students and therefore the perceived benefits may not hold. When a lecturer teaches a large class, there is likelihood that he may not provide full and appropriate feedback to everybody. This may be manifested when he only awards grades without sufficient commends. They are these commends that will engage the student to realize his mistakes (Rowe, 2011). Nevertheless, learning resources can also be seen as a challenge to the process of feedback. When there are enough learning materials, it is eminent that those who are measuring the feedbacks will have sufficient feedbacks in every area. 3.0 The Report 3.1 Data Collection In order to collect responses from students about the subject, the following questions were employed: 1. What are the perceived benefits, for learning on the side of the students? 2. What are the perceived challenges of the feedback on the side of the students? 3. Identify the perceived benefits on the side of the instructors. 4. Identify the perceived challenges on the side of the tutors in learning environment. The Researcher of the report employed the descriptive survey design that sought to collect the perception of small groups of people and generalize them to become suitable to the whole group. The study took 367 students and 46 lecturers in the Macquarie University. The participants were chosen using a simple random sampling technique. Therefore, two kinds of questionnaires were constructed: Teachers’ Feedback Perception Questionnaire and the Students’ Feedback Perception Questionnaire. Data were collected with the help of Research assistants and then analyzed using standard deviation, mean and mean percentage. 3.2 Results: Benefits and Challenges of Feedback in Higher Education On Students The interview results showed that the three greatest benefits the student forwarded were that feedback acted as a guidance to improve their performance in future. Additionally, the results enabled them to realize how well they had learned the content. On the last part of the rating, students perceived benefits as making them get encouraged to learn. Apart from the three propositions, students also proposed that the feedbacks made learning to be interesting, and they could be aware of the marking criteria. At this point, they can get an opportunity to consult from the lecturers why the questions were marked wrong. The other three least benefits that received, however, little attention were getting opportunity to interact with peers, taking constructive criticism and discussing difficult concept (Kane & Staiger, 2012). On perceived challenges, anxiety that results in the advent of feedback was listed as the major concern. The other highly rated challenge was that the students could, at some point, not interpret their results. However, the difficulty of engaging in self-assessment and seeking instructors to explain the reasons for the answers and marks were the challenges that received least attention. On Instructors For the instructors, they overwhelmingly noted that the three greatest advantages of them instituting feedback included planning their instructional strategies for the next course of action. They also mentioned helping to sustain the learners’ interest and focus as one of the greatest advantage of the feedback. The instructors also revealed that feedback helps them to understand the learners’ progress in class, that is whether they are grasping and going ahead with after class activities well or not. On the list too, the tutors also noted that they need the students’ feedback so that they strategize on how to make communication to learners more interesting while teaching. The other three, although least perceived, were that they need the feedbacks to value the students concepts. Others emphasized on quality assurance as another factor, which overlaps to the institutional authority. The other criteria the students noted was that it aided them to easily understand and improve on their assessment criteria. On challenges, most lecturers noted that it was time consuming especially when dealing with many classes and many students. They also put forward that it was hard for them to maintain objective scores throughout their marking processes. The other point also noted by them was that it was somehow cumbersome to maintain the required level of difficulty according to the class and other institutional objectives such as selection and content mastery. Other challenges forwarded by them were that they had involved in confrontations with their students who had performed lowly especially those that presented their answers poorly. The last although least uttered was that the instructors found it hard to generate very many question from which they could objectively chose. 4.0 Conclusion The study has shown that the students benefit a lot from the feedback in both formal and informal assessments. This is in agreement with the Rowe (2011) research that students will receive necessary guidance to perform better in the next assessment. Nevertheless, they contended that feedback enables them to learn more. They however found it a challenge in containing anxiety and interpreting the content of the feedback. On the side of the lecturers, it helped to sustain the learners’ interest, understand their progress and plan how to sustain their interests. However, in encountering challenges, they lacked time, and endured demands from various stakeholders to do very objective scoring. 5.0 Recommendation As from the discussion, one can note that the benefits of feedback have spanned the psychological and social spectrums. Therefore, the tutors should make sure that there is an ample interaction between the student and the teacher. The students will also be able to understand the scoring criterion that they can use to improve in their next assessment. The tutor will have to enhance the direct relationship with his students. It has also been listed that students incur the emotional anxiety, especially when results are about to be released. The tutor should find ways in which they can reduce the learners’ anxiety and negative emotions towards the results. Lecturers have also decried about large number of students that drags down their work. Staff-student ration in most institutions of higher learning has become a problem. This causes the students to receive feedback merely as a name and grades but without sufficient comments that they can grasp. The low lecturer-student ratio will make the engagement between the student and the lecturer more stronger and frequent. On the other instance, lecturers, on personality grounds need to be caring. This will also reduce the anxiety and lack of understanding. One thing that may affect the objectivity of the test and hence its reliability and validity for students to use its feedback is the objectivity of scoring. Lecturers need on-job training on how to construct such kind of test. Furthermore, students themselves should be told to act objectively in their self-assessment and fear nothing as regards to consultations with lecturers for their betterment in education. In dealing with conformational students and those who fear about their results, instructors are supposed to have private sessions that they will use to speak to them. This can take place in lecturer’s office where the student can be objectively advised. The teachers they are supposed, on this circumstance, not goad the students (Kelly, 2013). Last but yet important, the institutions should make sure that necessary resources are available so that a student’s clear educational outcome can be determined. References Kane, T.J., Staiger, D.O.(2012). Gathering Feedback for Teaching. Bill& Melinda gates Foundation. Kelly, M. (2013).How to Deal with Confrontational Students in your Classroom. About. com. Retrieved on 3 November 2013 from http://712educators.about.com/od/discipline/tp/confrontational_students.htm Nicol, D. and Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2013).Rethinking Formative Assessment in HE: a theoretical Model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Retrieved on 2 November 2013 from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/assessment/web0015_rethinking_formative_assessment_in_he.pdf Omorogiiuwa, K.O. (2013).Benefits And Challenges of Feedback In Formative Assessment of Distance Learners. University of South Africa. Retrieved on 2 December 2013 from http://ww Omorogiiuwa, K.O.( 2013 w.unisa.ac.za/contents/conferences/odl2012/docs/submissions/ODL-036-2010_1_edJBFinal_OmorogiuwaO.pdf Price, M. et al. (2010).Feedback: all that effort, but what is the effect. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(3), pp,77-289. Rowe, A. (2011).The Personal Dimension in Teaching: Why Students Value Feedback. Sidney: Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University. Read More

When instructors affirm students in class, learning motivation is enhanced and the connection between motivation and learning cannot be oversimplified (Price et al., 2010). Feedback is also an emotional regulator especially when there is anxiety in students. The contrary is true because lack of feedback elicits negative feelings on students towards a teaching staff. When instructors do not bring feedback, learners feel disrespected and in some cases, unrecognized. Moreover, instructors also do express a sense of care to their students when they bring the feedback.

Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2013), add that feedback is vital in helping them understand what the good quality of learning is. As concerns feedback challenges in higher learning, the students normally find that there are a lot of difficulty when trying to interpret the feedbacks from the lecturers. Students also fear open scrutiny they encounter when trying to find the best response for the questions. The other challenge that may arise will be time-consuming processes on the part of the instructor.

It demands a lot of time during scoring and going through them in class so that all students understand where they went wrong (Kane & Staiger, 2012). The other major challenge to feedback is the objectivity of marking by the instructors. If the instructors awarding marks become subjective, the feedback may not satisfy the students and therefore the perceived benefits may not hold. When a lecturer teaches a large class, there is likelihood that he may not provide full and appropriate feedback to everybody.

This may be manifested when he only awards grades without sufficient commends. They are these commends that will engage the student to realize his mistakes (Rowe, 2011). Nevertheless, learning resources can also be seen as a challenge to the process of feedback. When there are enough learning materials, it is eminent that those who are measuring the feedbacks will have sufficient feedbacks in every area. 3.0 The Report 3.1 Data Collection In order to collect responses from students about the subject, the following questions were employed: 1.

What are the perceived benefits, for learning on the side of the students? 2. What are the perceived challenges of the feedback on the side of the students? 3. Identify the perceived benefits on the side of the instructors. 4. Identify the perceived challenges on the side of the tutors in learning environment. The Researcher of the report employed the descriptive survey design that sought to collect the perception of small groups of people and generalize them to become suitable to the whole group.

The study took 367 students and 46 lecturers in the Macquarie University. The participants were chosen using a simple random sampling technique. Therefore, two kinds of questionnaires were constructed: Teachers’ Feedback Perception Questionnaire and the Students’ Feedback Perception Questionnaire. Data were collected with the help of Research assistants and then analyzed using standard deviation, mean and mean percentage. 3.2 Results: Benefits and Challenges of Feedback in Higher Education On Students The interview results showed that the three greatest benefits the student forwarded were that feedback acted as a guidance to improve their performance in future.

Additionally, the results enabled them to realize how well they had learned the content. On the last part of the rating, students perceived benefits as making them get encouraged to learn. Apart from the three propositions, students also proposed that the feedbacks made learning to be interesting, and they could be aware of the marking criteria. At this point, they can get an opportunity to consult from the lecturers why the questions were marked wrong. The other three least benefits that received, however, little attention were getting opportunity to interact with peers, taking constructive criticism and discussing difficult concept (Kane & Staiger, 2012).

On perceived challenges, anxiety that results in the advent of feedback was listed as the major concern.

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