Dr Lucy Annett, Dr Sue Anthony and Dr Stefanie Schmeer

Department of Psychology, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire

A comparison of the effect of three modes of essay feedback (written, audio

and face-to-face) on student achievement and satisfaction

Does the mode of essay feedback influence achievement (grades) on subsequent essays?

• Psychology BSc level 5 module “Psychological Research”• tutorial groups of 8-10 students• essay topics chosen by tutor, students provided with a few ‘starter’ references and then expected to use literature searches to find research evidence relevant to the essay

• coursework assessment, 3 essays and a group mini-project• typically electronic written feedback, using margin comments and track changes, and a feedback form on how to improve• 2nd essay a revised version of the 1st essay taking feedback into account, then 3rd essay on a different topic

tutors groups students face-to-face 4 5 44audio 5 5 41written 5 5 42

• random allocation of students to tutorial groups, except balanced with respect to first year research methods module• ‘negotiation’ with tutors as to which feedback mode they would use• main dependent variables: essay grades 2 and 3• also questionnaire to collect student views on the

different types of feedback

Does the mode of essay feedback influence achievement (grades) on subsequent essays?

feedback group: F(2,102) = 0.095, n.s.feedback group * essay: F(4,208) = 0.767, n.s.

Questionnaire • students asked whether they found the feedback useful and whether they liked that feedback mode• compared with written feedback last year?• which of feedback mode would they choose?

completed questionnaires

face-to-face 38audio 27written 23total 88 (69%)

Which type of feedback mode do students prefer?

face-to-face: advantages• can ask questions and interact • more personal. Can ask questions on how to improve • I liked being able to have one to one time with the tutor so I could

ask questions

student comments

face-to-face: disadvantages• can't go back to review comments like you can in written feedback• run out of time and takes longer to talk about every point, so may not cover

everything• you have to find times when both student and tutor are free • having to travel to uni• the student can feel uncomfortable• felt the frustration of tutor

audio: advantages• more detailed and explained than some written feedback I received last year• can replay as much as you like • it is easier to understand what the tutor means • I find it easier to take in the feedback when its in audio form rather than

written. Better than face to face because you can listen to it as many times as you want

student comments

audio: disadvantages• difficult to refer to parts of the essay spoken about. Need to make notes then

go back to essay to see what was being mentioned.• hard to edit the essay with the audio feedback and constantly having to pause

it and rewind• have to take notes• have to link up to your essay and write down anyway. Not pleasant to listen to.

written: advantages• easier to see the feedback and go back to it again and again• very very elaborated/specific comments, can refer back to it multiple times• easier to detect where mistakes are made and feedback are written next to

the mistakes • easier to fit in if you have a busy schedule

student comments

written: disadvantages• can't ask questions, mostly unsure about what markers think• sometimes want point to be elaborated, can be too brief and not clear• no opportunity for further discussion• sometimes does not feel personalised to your work

Other general comments• ideally a combination of face/audio and written• mixture would be most beneficial, face to face and one other• I would like to have some comments to be written within essay

text and additionally I would like to be able to have audio feedback• with face to face the tutor should not be too harsh

student comments

Conclusions• feedback mode does not influence subsequent essay grades• students generally find feedback by all 3 modes useful• students tend to prefer, and if given a choice would choose, the feedback mode they are familiar with• strong individual differences in feedback preferences – average scores do not reveal the full story

• combined feedback modes suggested as the way forward, e.g. face to face with some written comments, or an audio recording of face to face meeting,

• future focus on student reflection on feedback, not the technology used to deliver the feedback

Thank you to tutors and students for contributing to this study

Tutor questionnaire results

Feedback students found

useful (1-5)

Feedback students liked

(1-5)

Feedback you found useful (1-

5)Feedback you

liked (1-5)

preference compared

with written last year

face n=3 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.0audio n=5 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.2 3.0written n=5 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.4

Given a choice of just these 3 feedback types, which one would you use?face to face = 6audio = 1written = 6

How would you prefer to give feedback using any of these three methods alone or in combination?

written plus audio = 3written plus face to face = 7face to face = 3