Reflecting on ‘assessment’
2. The variety of approaches to assessment
Learning from previous work:
feedback and reflection
Receiving feedback is often one of the most difficult aspects of being
a student because it involves elements of vulnerability and
judgement. And yet some of the most dramatic improvements in
your work can be achieved by paying close attention to work which has
been marked and graded already. Many students look at the grade or mark
for their assignment, express satisfaction, surprise or annoyance, but
never fully read the valuable comments on the work and the feedback
sheet. When you are given back a piece of work read all of the comments
very carefully. If possible make a list, first of the positive things
which helped your mark, and then of the negatives which possibly
reduced your mark. You can learn from both of these types of feedback.
Positive feedback, e.g. "your literature search is thorough and
provides a good introduction to the topic", will allow you to identify
your strengths and ensure you keep doing these things well. Negative
feedback e.g. "the middle section became muddled as you tried
to deal with too many points at the same time", will show where better
planning, drafting, or other study skills could have improved things.
Remember, ultimately there is no such thing as negative feedback, every
comment on your work is a clear pointer to improvements you could make
next time. When receiving feedback, try to always allow some
time to reflect deeply about the comments made so that improvements can
be made next time round. You could use your reflective
learning journal for this purpose (see unit, ‘Reflective
learning: keeping a reflective learning journal’). Diagnose,
for yourself, your particular learning needs in the light of your
assessed work. Identify, for yourself, the necessary
resources or support you would like to meet these needs. If
you think your assignment feedback is inadequate or unfair, seek
clarification from your lecturer or tutor. Don’t be afraid to
ask for feedback: remember that feedback relates to your
work/assignment/task, not to you personally!
Finally, bear the following points in mind in relation to feedback:
- Being a student is a learning experience, which
offers its own unique lessons of personal discovery for each individual
participant.
- Mistakes are not mistakes, in the conventional sense,
but opportunities to learn.
- Constructive criticism leads to opportunities for
improvement. (Without feedback, how can anyone progress and improve?)
- Each person enters university from a different
background, with different expectations, and with varying and diverse
levels of prior participation in education.
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