A method of providing engaging formative feedback to large cohort first-year physiology and anatomy students

Abstract

A growing body of evidence demonstrates a critical role for effective, meaningful feedback to enhance student learning. Effective feedback can become part of the learning cycle that is not only a learning opportunity for the student but can also be used to inform the teacher and ongoing curriculum development. Feedback is considered particularly important during the first year of university and can even be viewed as a retention strategy that can help attenuate student performance anxieties and solidify perceptions of academic support. Unfortunately, the provision of individualized, timely feedback can be particularly challenging in first-year courses as they tend to be large and diverse cohort classes that pose challenges of time and logistics. Various forms of generic feedback can provide rapid and cost-effect feedback to large cohorts but may be of limited benefit to students other than signaling weaknesses in knowledge. The present study describes a method that was used to provide formative task-related feedback to a large cohort of first-year physiology and anatomy students. Based on student evaluations presented in this study, this method provided feedback in a manner that engaged students, uncovered underlying misconceptions, facilitated peer discussion, and provided opportunity for new instruction while allowing the lecturer to recognize common gaps in knowledge and inform ongoing curriculum development.

Rethinking Assessment Design: Evidence‐Informed Strategies to Boost Educational Impact in the Anatomical Sciences

“…Feedback delivery is not without challenges in the context of anatomical and health sciences. Educators are working on efficient and timely delivery of feedback to large cohorts of students (Weston- Green and Wallace, 2016) and the ongoing challenges of student engagement with the feedback received (Evans et al, 2014). From a test-or recall-enhanced learning perspective there is still much work to be carried out on the format and focus of feedback.…”

In the digital age, physical learning materials still have their own space in education.

“…In the context of this paper, feedback could be verbal, written or demonstrative from the laboratory tutor. Formative feedback is critical at university, especially at a first-year undergraduate level as it shapes students' perceptions about tertiary education, continuing academic support and encourages deeper level learning (Biggs, 2003;Weston-Green & Wallace, 2016). Effective feedback has also been shown to increase student retention during courses and when delivered adequately can be a powerful learning tool that can enhance student learning (Einolander & Vanharanta, 2015).…”

Improving Student's Engagement Through the Use of Learning Modules, Instantaneous Feedback and Automated Marking

“…It can also be considered as a retention strategy particularly during the first year of university by lessening student's performance anxieties and intensifying their perception of academic support that are available. In addition to that, the process of providing feedback itself can also be used to inform the teacher regarding students' understanding gaps for ongoing curriculum development [3].…”