ERIC Number: EJ895832
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Aug
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0260-2938
EISSN: N/A
From Monologue to Dialogue: Improving Written Feedback Processes in Mass Higher Education
Nicol, David
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v35 n5 p501-517 Aug 2010
Student surveys across the world have highlighted that students are dissatisfied with the feedback they receive on their assignments and many institutions have been putting plans in place to address this issue. Much of this work has focused on improving the quality of written comments. This paper takes a different perspective. It argues that the many diverse expressions of dissatisfaction with written feedback, both from students and teachers, are all symptoms of impoverished dialogue. Mass higher education is squeezing out dialogue with the result that written feedback, which is essentially a one-way communication, often has to carry almost all the burden of teacher-student interaction. The paper suggests ways in which the nature and quality of feedback dialogue can be enhanced when student numbers are large without necessarily increasing demands on academic staff. It concludes with a conceptual discussion of the merits of taking a dialogical approach when designing feedback.
Descriptors: Feedback (Response), Large Group Instruction, Student Surveys, Teacher Student Relationship, Student Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Evaluation Research, Educational Strategies, Educational Practices, Theory Practice Relationship, Interpersonal Communication, Dialogs (Language)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A