Formative Assessment Feedback

GUIDE
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR

IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF
FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS.
Giving student feedback on their learning, often described as formative assessment, has been shown
to have powerful positive benefits for student learning and achievement (Nichol & McFarlane-Dick,
2009; Juwah et al, 2004; Black & William, 1998). However, this can often be a time-consuming task in
an environment with stretch resources. In addition, many staff report lack of student engagement
with this feedback, for example, they may not read it (Hounsell, 1987) and students also report lack of
helpful feedback (Sadler, 1989; Chanock, 2000).This can result in wasted staff efforts and ineffective
feedback for students.
One of the key themes emerging to address this dilemma is to develop students own self-monitoring
skills in order to help them narrow the gap between their performance and the standards expected of
them (Nichol, 2009; Clarke, 2001). The timing, type and specification of feedback can also improve
student ability to self-monitor. In addition, good feedback should feed into some specific actions that
can be used in the next assessment (Nichol & McFarlane-Dick, 2009). Feedback need not always be
from the academic staff, students themselves are a good resource to each other when given guidance
on how to do this. New technologies also open up some efficient feedback opportunities.
In the recent literature, there has been much attention to the development of efficient and effective
feedback and this short resource leaflet highlights a few practical ideas to support students and staff
in this process. This resource is also linked with more templates and practical advice on the UCD
Teaching and Learning website.
Seven Principles of Giving Good Feedback (Formative Assessment):

• Facilitates the development of self-assessment (reflection) in learning.
• Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning.
• Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards expected).
• Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance.
• Delivers high quality information to students about their learning.
• Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem.
• Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching
(Nicol & MacFarlane-Dick, 2009; Juwah et al, 2004)
1
SOME IDEAS: VALUE OF THIS IDEA TO RESOURCES:
STUDENT AND OR STAFF: REFERENCE
TEMPLATES, OR CASE
STUDY. SEE ALSO:
• Use of a pre-submission check-list • Student encouraged to • Cathers (2007)

(pro-forma): Students self-assess self-monitor, based on
on some pre-defined criteria and assessment criteria
hand it in with assignment.
• Consider feedback in different • Staff efficient feedback. • Nichol (2007a, b)

media/formats: On-line, audio- • Easily accessed by • Nichol (2009)
feedback, verbal class feedback, students. • REAP (2009)
use of ‘clickers’ in large class
contexts.
• Student Requested Feedback: • As this is student-focused • Nichol &

Ask students to submit specific feedback it is more inclined MacFarlane-Dick
requests for areas for feedback at to motivate students to (2009)
the beginning of assignment. act. Encourages students
Focus feedback primarily on to take some responsibility
these areas. in the process.
• Evidence of Action: Student have • Builds students ability to • National Forum 2017
to integrate (highlight), in next self-regulate their own
assignment, where actions from learning and engages them
previous feedback are integrated with previous feedback.
into this assignment
• Timing of Feedback: Focus staff • Students have time to act • Angelo & Cross
energies on mid-unit feedback, on feedback for summative (1993)
instead of end of semester assessment. • Nicol, D.,
feedback. This could be an in- MacFarlane-Dick, D.,
class summary to whole class; in- (2009)
class mini tests; on-line MCQ’s,
etc
• Engage student with the • Improves student • Rust et al (2005)

assessment criteria. Make awareness of the desired • Sadler (1989)
2
assessment criteria transparent standard and helps them
to student. Where possible, narrow the gap between
involve them in developing the their and the desired
criteria. performance.
• In class peer and self-assess • Build students ability to • Rust et al (2005)

feedback activities: During class, self-regulate their own
use previous anonymous learning and in giving
assignments or current students feedback they become
first drafts to peer/self assess more aware of the desired
using rubrics/assessment criteria. standard in relation to
their own work. Builds in
feedback into class-time
and is efficient use of staff
time.
• Less summative and more • Timely, early feedback to • Knight (2000)

formative in early years: Consider students.
replacing some 1st year • Gives students more
continuous (summative/graded) support in early University
assessments, by formative years, may increase
assessment (and/or give students retention.
choice of considering marks from
formative for use as summative)
• Comment in actionable language: • Gives students more useful • Clarke, 2001

Give feedback that includes advice about how to • Sadler (1989)
actions for students to improve change their performance. • Does Your Feedback
next performance (focus on Feed Forward
action). Actionable comments
(without grades) have been
shown have been shown to be
less demoralising for students.
3
References:
Angelo, T. A. & Cross K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass.
Black, P.J. & Wiliam, D. (1998) Assessment and classroom learning, Assessment in Education:
principles, policy and practice 5 (1), pp.7-73
Cather, I. (2007) Engaging with the Standards: Using Feed-forward and Feedback, In O’Neill,
G., Huntley-Moore, S., Race, P., Eds. (2007) Case Studies of Good Practices in Assessment of Student
Learning in Higher Education. Dublin: AISHE., pp149-152
Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking Formative Assessment: Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils’ Learning
in the Primary Classroom. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems, Instructional
Science, 18, pp.119-144
Chanock, K. (2000). Comments on essays: do students understand what tutors write? Teaching in
Higher Education 5 (1), 95–105.
Higgins, R., Hartley, P. and Skelton, A. (2001) Getting the message across: the problem of
communicating assessment feedback. Teaching in Higher Education 6. (2), 269–274.
Hounsell, D. (1987) 'Essay-writing and the quality of feedback'. in Richardson, J.T.E. et al., eds.,
Student Learning: Research in Education and Cognitive Psychology Milton Keynes:
SRHE & Open University Press, pp. 109 – 119
Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D, Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross D, & Smith, B. (2004) Enhancing student
learning through effective formative feedback.
Knight, P.T. (2000) The Value of a Programme-wide approach to Assessment. Assessment &
Evaluation, 25 (3), 237-251
Nicol, D (2007a) E-assessment by design: using multiple-choice tests to good effect, Journal of Further
and Higher Education, 31 (1), 53-64
Nicol, D (2007b), Laying the foundation for lifelong learning: case studies of technology supported
assessment processes in large first year classes, British Journal of Educational Technology, 38 (4), 668-
678
Nicol, D (2009), Assessment for learner self-regulation: Enhancing achievement in the first year using
learning technologies, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(3), 335-352
Nicol, D., MacFarlane-Dick, D., (2009) Rethinking Formative Assessment in HE: a theoretical model
and seven principles of good feedback practice.
4
REAP (2009) Re-engineering Assessment Practices in Scottish Higher Education
http://www.reap.ac.uk/ accessed January 2020.
Rust C, O'Donovan B., & Price M. (2005) A social constructivist assessment process model: how the
research literature shows us this could be best practice, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education
30(3), 231-240
Taras, M. (2001 ) The use of tutor feedback and student self-assessment in summative assessment
tasks: towards transparency for students and tutors. Assessment and evaluation in higher education,
26, 605–614.
Torrance, H. and Pryor, J. (1998) Investigating formative assessment: teaching, learning and
assessment in the classroom. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
Yorke, M. (2003) Formative assessment in higher education: Moves towards theory and the
enhancement of pedagogic practice. Higher Education 45 (4), 477–501.

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GUIDE

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR

Seven Principles of Giving Good Feedback (Formative Assessment):

(Nicol & MacFarlane-Dick, 2009; Juwah et al, 2004)

• Use of a pre-submission check-list • Student encouraged to • Cathers (2007)

• Consider feedback in different • Staff efficient feedback. • Nichol (2007a, b)

• Student Requested Feedback: • As this is student-focused • Nichol &

• Engage student with the • Improves student • Rust et al (2005)

• In class peer and self-assess • Build students ability to • Rust et al (2005)

• Less summative and more • Timely, early feedback to • Knight (2000)

• Comment in actionable language: • Gives students more useful • Clarke, 2001

SRHE & Open University Press, pp. 109 – 119

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