Engage Actively with your Feedback

1. Introduction

Here is an overview of the types of feedback that you are likely to experience while studying at Queen Mary. Feedback on either assessed or not assessed work is an important part of your learning and it is important that you both become aware of the various types of feedback you will be exposed to and that you actively engage with any feedback you receive. Please notice that not all types of feedback outlined below will be available in one individual module. Rather, you will experience these types of feedback throughout your studies and across the various modules that make up your degree programme. This document intends to enhance your awareness about these forms of feedback and we hope it will support your learning.

Types of feedback

There are two main types of feedback that you will be experiencing: Formative Feedback and Summative Feedback.

2. Formative Feedback

This feedback is provided on pieces of work that are not formally assessed. The aim of formative feedback is to provide you with insights on what you have done well or less well in a particular task so that you can improve your future work. Formative feedback can be provided in a variety of ways: 

• Weekly problem sets/tasks: lecturers set weekly problem sets/tasks that you are asked to work on throughout the week. Feedback on these problems/tasks and on how you have done on them is provided during the weekly class contact time. Active participation and engagement in the weekly classes is important to know how you are doing and to ask questions that can help your understanding;
• Homework Solutions Available Online: solutions to the weekly problem sets/tasks are often made available in written form online on WebCT. This is a type of indirect feedback that allows you to check your own solutions against the correct ones;
• Online tests: multiple choice quizzes are often available online for you to test your knowledge in a flexible and interactive way. Feedback on your answers is returned immediately once you make your choices. The overall score is also made available as soon as the test is completed;
• Paper-based Multiple Choice Tests: paper-based multiple choice tests are also often used and the solutions with feedback on each question is usually made available in printed form the week after the relevant lecture has been delivered;
• Presentations:  when you are asked to give a presentation (either alone or in a group) during a class, feedback is usually provided at the end of the presentation. The feedback will be of benefit for both the group/individual who presents but also for all other students who can learn from the lecturer’s comments and the class discussion;
• Coursework: you will be asked to write a piece of coursework or to design/develop an experiment/task (either alone or in group). Module organisers and class teachers are available during their office hours to provide you with either one-to-one feedback or group-feedback prior to the submission of the coursework so that you can receive some formative feedback on your work in progress;
• One-to-One Feedback: lecturers have regular weekly office hours (publicised on their doors, on the web and available from the reception office) during which they are available to provide feedback on your performance.

3. Summative Feedback

This feedback is provided on coursework (e.g., essay, report, presentation, in-class tests) that is part of a module’s assessment. It gives you a critical evaluation of the quality of your coursework together with suggestions on how you can improve your performance in future assessment. Summative feedback can be 1) individual when you receive personal feedback on a coursework you submitted or contributed to; 2) group when the group you work with receives an overall feedback; 3) general when feedback is provided to the whole class and not necessarily to each individual student (for example, the solutions to a multiple choice test); 4) indirect when feedback given to a student can also benefit other students (e.g., feedback on a presentation).

• Presentations: when you are asked to give an individual or group assessed presentation, you will receive feedback at the end of the presentation from both the class teacher and the other students in the class. If you are not presenting but only attending the presentation, you will receive some indirect feedback and learn from the class discussion;
• Email Feedback: written or oral feedback can be further complemented by some additional feedback by email. You can also approach by email an individual tutor and ask for some feedback/explanation on a specific issue that you might find difficult to fully understand;
• Written Feedback on Coursework: for coursework where you are asked to submit a written piece of work (e.g., essay, report) you will receive written feedback both on a summary feedback page and throughout the piece of work;
• One-to-One Feedback: you can book an appointment during office hours to receive some one-to-one feedback on your coursework. Small-group feedback sessions can also be organised by lecturers during their office hours;
• In-Class Test Feedback: feedback on in-class tests is provided through a class discussion where the solutions are provided and the common mistakes are pointed out. The feedback is also geared towards explaining how you can improve the quality of your work in future tests by, for example, improving the structure of your answers;
• Recorded Feedback: audio podcasts posted on WebCT are also another form of general feedback made available to the whole cohort of students in a module.

4. What do you need to do to make the most out of the feedback you receive?