Feeding back to feed forward: Formative assessment as a platform for effective learning

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Author
Wheatley, Lucy
Lord, Rhiannon
McInch, Alex
Fleming, Scott
Date
2015Type
Article
Publisher
UKnowledge
ISSN
2164-5140
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Students construct meaning through relevant learning activities (Biggs, 2003) which are largely determined by the type, amount, and timing of feedback (Carless, 2006). The aim of the present study was to develop a greater awareness and understanding of formative assessment and feedback practices and their relationship with learning. During 2011 five focus group discussions were undertaken with students and academic staff involved with a range of modules and degree pathways at a UK University. Three of the focus groups were with undergraduate students (one at each level of study), and one was with taught postgraduate students. Discussions focussed on integration of formative assessment and feedback into modules, as well as an exploration of the effectiveness of feedback on future learning. The findings revealed that in order to emphasise continuous learning – feeding back to feed forward (Rushton, 2005) – and to encourage self-regulated learning (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006), students need to have opportunities to make mistakes and to learn from them prior to summative assessment (through formative assessment and feedback). There was also firm evidence of different approaches to learning, emphasising in particular the transitional importance of the first year of study as the foundation upon which future achievement is built.
Journal/conference proceeding
Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice;
Citation
Wheatley, L., Lord, R., McInch, A. and Fleming, S. (2015) 'Feeding back to feed forward: Formative assessment as a platform for more effective learning', Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice, 3 (2), Article 2
Description
This article has been published in Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice, available at: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/kjhepp/vol3/iss2/2/
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 LicenseSponsorship
Learning and Teaching Enhancement Fund, Wales. Higher Education Academy.
Collections
- Education Research [256]
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
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