Enhancing Induction: Principles for Improving the Student Experience

Engaging the learner: Why did I get 37%?

Professor Brenda SmithGoldsmiths, University of London

7th July 2010

Key aims are to..Key aims are to....

Highlight key points on Highlight key points on enhancing induction enhancing induction arising from the dayarising from the day

Explore students’ Explore students’ expectations of the first expectations of the first yearyear

Help students to learn Help students to learn through assessment and through assessment and feedback by encouraging feedback by encouraging their active engagementtheir active engagement

Key Questions re InductionKey Questions re Induction

When does it start?When does it start?

How long does it last?How long does it last?

Who should do it – how do you engage staff?Who should do it – how do you engage staff?

Is Induction just for the first year?Is Induction just for the first year?

Is it induction and social orientation? Is it induction and social orientation?

Is it a process in which students actively participate?Is it a process in which students actively participate?

Do you clarify students' expectations of studying at Do you clarify students' expectations of studying at Goldsmiths , and the University's expectations of them?Goldsmiths , and the University's expectations of them?

Do you offer peer support?Do you offer peer support?

How do you induct students into assessment and How do you induct students into assessment and feedback?feedback?

1.Certification

3.Learning

4.Sustainability

2.QualityAssurance

Why do we assess?

We need to explore students’ We need to explore students’ expectations of assessment and expectations of assessment and feedback in the first year as part feedback in the first year as part

of inductionof induction

Key Issues with assessment? Key Issues with assessment?

Students do not know what to expect in the first yearStudents do not know what to expect in the first year

Students are often not given the ‘Big Picture’ - Students are often not given the ‘Big Picture’ - students want an ‘e-bay’ or ‘Amazon’ experiencestudents want an ‘e-bay’ or ‘Amazon’ experience

Students bring with them different expectations and Students bring with them different expectations and prior experiencesprior experiences

Students are not actively involved in the whole Students are not actively involved in the whole processprocess

Limited assessment methodsLimited assessment methods

Assessed work bunched towards the end of a Assessed work bunched towards the end of a semestersemester

Are students actively encouraged to use feedback as part Are students actively encouraged to use feedback as part of your learning & teaching process?of your learning & teaching process?

Is your feedback spread out throughout the year?Is your feedback spread out throughout the year?

Do you encourage students to reflect by using self and Do you encourage students to reflect by using self and peer feedback?peer feedback?

Does your feedback feed forward?Does your feedback feed forward?

Do you try and give face to face feedback?Do you try and give face to face feedback?

Do your students have an opportunity to collate feedback Do your students have an opportunity to collate feedback over time and act upon it?over time and act upon it?

Key Questions on Feedback ………

Don’t use bullet points!Don’t use bullet points!

All I get is a grade next

to my matriculation number

without any indication

on how I am actually doing

I got an essay back where the

only comment was ‘use a bigger text size’, there was nothing on how to

improve my grade

For a rather lengthy

scientific report, the feedback I received

consisted of a mere two ticks and a question

mark

I have never received

feedback for any of my exams and this means I don’t know

how to improve for

the third year when the marks

really count

The effectiveness of feedbackThe effectiveness of feedback

Summaries of what makes most difference to Summaries of what makes most difference to student achievement, involving reviews of student achievement, involving reviews of

many thousands of studies spanning many thousands of studies spanning decades of research, show clearly that the decades of research, show clearly that the

most most

powerful single influence powerful single influence

is feedbackis feedback

Inducting studentsInducting studentsGet students confident with assessingGet students confident with assessing

Give students in groups a selection of essays - Give students in groups a selection of essays - Excellent, Good, Average & FailExcellent, Good, Average & Fail

Students decide individually which essay fits into Students decide individually which essay fits into which category and then compares notes in small which category and then compares notes in small groupsgroups

Then get students to tease out the differences & Then get students to tease out the differences & express these differences as criteria express these differences as criteria

Students then provide feedback on each piece of Students then provide feedback on each piece of work in their groupswork in their groups

Students then provide guidelines for effective essay Students then provide guidelines for effective essay writingwriting

What has each student/group learned?What has each student/group learned?

Get students actively involvedGet students actively involvedUse feedback as an integral part of the Use feedback as an integral part of the

curriculumcurriculum

In small groups get students to exchange an In small groups get students to exchange an assessed piece of their work and compare the assessed piece of their work and compare the feedback comments with group membersfeedback comments with group members

Do they understand the comments?Do they understand the comments?

How would they respond to the comments?How would they respond to the comments?

What would they do differently next time if:What would they do differently next time if:

a) They re-did the same assignmenta) They re-did the same assignment

b) Applied the learning to a new and different b) Applied the learning to a new and different piece of work?piece of work?

Quick ways of giving feedbackQuick ways of giving feedback

Generic feedback within 24 hours on the VLEGeneric feedback within 24 hours on the VLE

Face-to-face feedback with the whole group or small Face-to-face feedback with the whole group or small groupsgroups

Peer feedback in groupsPeer feedback in groups

Use technology - Audacity, Dragon, Statement BanksUse technology - Audacity, Dragon, Statement Banks

Self-feedback - help students develop the skills of self Self-feedback - help students develop the skills of self reflectionreflection

Student want more face-to-face feedback – what can Student want more face-to-face feedback – what can we stop doing to enable this to happen – Pod/Vodcasts?we stop doing to enable this to happen – Pod/Vodcasts?

Engaging studentsEngaging students. .

When lecturers stopped marking weekly problem sheets (too When lecturers stopped marking weekly problem sheets (too busy), students stopped tackling the problem. Exam marks busy), students stopped tackling the problem. Exam marks went down as a consequence. But when lecturers went down as a consequence. But when lecturers introduced periodic peer-assessment of the problem sheets introduced periodic peer-assessment of the problem sheets – as a course requirement but without the marks – as a course requirement but without the marks contributing – students’ exam marks increased dramatically contributing – students’ exam marks increased dramatically to a level well above that achieved previously when to a level well above that achieved previously when lecturers did the marking. What achieved the learning was lecturers did the marking. What achieved the learning was the quality of student engagement in learning tasks, not the quality of student engagement in learning tasks, not teachers doing lots of marking. The trick when designing teachers doing lots of marking. The trick when designing assessment régimes is to generate engagement with assessment régimes is to generate engagement with learning tasks without generating piles of marking. learning tasks without generating piles of marking. Forbes & Forbes & Spence (1991) study of assessment on an Engineering course at Strathclyde UniversitySpence (1991) study of assessment on an Engineering course at Strathclyde University

Ensuring nderstanding...?Ensuring nderstanding...?

This report is not logically This report is not logically structuredstructured

This essay is not sufficiently This essay is not sufficiently analyticalanalytical

We need to develop the skills of We need to develop the skills of self- assessment & encourage self- assessment & encourage students to be active in this students to be active in this processprocess

Involve the studentsInvolve the students

Student Staff

These are areas of my work which I think are good

Please comment on the following areas

What I want to improve or do differently next time

The mark I think it deserves is

LEARNINGMost significant feedback comments

What did you understand these to mean?

ANALYZISINGThings that I did that attracted positive commentsThings that I did that attracted critical comments

Any recurring trends or comments?

PLANNING AND FEEDING FORWARDThings I can do to build on the positive feedbackThings I can do to address the critical feedback

Ref: P Race (2007). How to get a Good Degree

A Way ForwardA Way Forward

The single most important thing for The single most important thing for me to keep doing in the future is..me to keep doing in the future is..

The single most important thing for The single most important thing for me to improve in my future work me to improve in my future work on the basis of this feedback is…on the basis of this feedback is…

Dialogue Starters...Dialogue Starters...

How did this essay make you think differently?How did this essay make you think differently?

Which part of the assignment do you feel less confident Which part of the assignment do you feel less confident about?about?

What was the most challenging part of this assignment?What was the most challenging part of this assignment?

Jot down 2 things you have learnt doing this assignment that Jot down 2 things you have learnt doing this assignment that you did not expect to learn?you did not expect to learn?

What advice would you give to students doing this What advice would you give to students doing this assignment?assignment?

If you were to do this assignment again, what one change If you were to do this assignment again, what one change would you make?would you make?

Ref: P Race 2009Ref: P Race 2009

When I get to sit down When I get to sit down with my tutor and discuss with my tutor and discuss my work – that’s probably my work – that’s probably the best form of feedback the best form of feedback

I can getI can get

Good luck with inducting your students into

assessment and feedback