1.
Sharing formative
feedback openly
A crazy idea?
An example from
Academic Development
Chrissi Nerantzi Juliette Wilson

2.
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice
(PGCAP)
• the programme
• social media portfolios
• assessment as learning (Earl, 2003), also
authentic
• openly shared formative feedback among
tutors and peers via a social media portfolio
Chrissi

3.
personalisation
Juliette

4.
Learning in and outside the classroom:
conversation, collaboration and making
Juliette

5.
Juliette

6.
Principles of good feedback
1. Facilitates the development of self-assessment (reflection) in
learning.
2. Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning.
3. Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected
standards).
4. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and
desired performance.
5. Delivers high quality information to students about their learning.
6. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem.
7. Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape
the teaching.
(Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D., Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross, D. and
Smith, B. 2004, p. 6.)
Chrissi

7.
current LTHE openly shared
formative feedback approach
• By tutor
– Initially: student asks for feedback (Mark 1: Boud) to
encourage dialogue
– From week 5: student asks for specific feedback Mark 2
(Boud)
– Commenting: regularly, encouraging reflection
• By peers
– ongoing (feedback buddies, action learning sets)
• self-assessment: about week 5
• where: in portfolio as a comment
• nature: recognising strengths, also challenging and
stretching to develop critical thinking
Chrissi

8.
source: http://www.mentoringminds.com/developing-21st-century-critical-thinkers-infographic

9.
Why openly shared?
Tutor’s perspective
• Formative feedback for learning!
– Learning for the individual
– Learning for the group/cohort
– Wider stimulation
• Transparency, openness, fairness
• More opportunities for wider feedback dialogues
• Ongoing peer feedback to increase engagement with feedback and
learning
• Wider use of formative feedback> helping others to reflect and self-
assess
• Reduce amount of formative feedback by tutor. A more sustainable
solution?
• Model openly shared formative feedback practice
Chrissi

10.
numbers
Chrissi
students status total com tutor peers self externals
Alice cc 47 16 20 8 3 5
Arthur public 8 4 4
Bob public 27 11 7 9 1 1
Colin cc 12 7 3 2 1
Darren public 11 9 2 1
Edwin public/pw 16 9 5 2 4
George public 12 10 1 1
Ian public 18 6 9 3 1 2
Jackie cc 43 15 22 5 1 2 3
Jane private 6 6
Joanna public 9 6 3 1
Kathrine public 37 10 20 7 3 4
Neil cc/pw 74 24 21 29 8 2
Philip public 14 7 4 3 2
Robert public 18 7 4 5 2
Sarah private 15 10 3 2 1
Simon public 12 7 3 2 1
totals 379 164 127 82 12 17 20

11.
43%
34%
21%
3%
feedback pie LTHEJan13
tutor
peers
self
externals

12.
Openly shared feedback: Students’ perspective > benefits
It
motivated
me to keep
going, and to
consider work as
ongoing rather
than complete
when I had
finished doing it.
Everyone could see
it and therefore it
was useful for
anyonereading
the post
It meant you
received a range
of feedback
from a
variety of
people
It encouraged
me to read
the
work
that
others
were
doing
which must
have
enriched my
own work.
It contributed to a
more
inclusive
and open
community
within the cohort.
Juliette

13.
Openly shared feedback: Students’ perspective > benefits
Trying to make it natural rather than
forced. Because the feedback was
open I felt under some pressure
initially to write well thought out
and structured comments and this
then inhibited a more free
flowing feedback
conversation.
Things could be read by anyone and
some comments could be
taken out of context.
Feeling
comfortable
with sharing
the work and
asking others to
provide the
feedback.
Juliette

14.
effective assessment conversations
• Learning, goal-guided
• Dialogic and interactive
• Scaffolding tools
• Supportive tools of social participation
• Enculturation tools
Ruiz-Primo, M. A. (2011, 17-18)
“The main purpose of assessment conversations is to make students’ thinking
evident, or to voice their understanding so that teacher can recognise and act on it
to promote learning”
Chrissi

15.
Chrissi
challenges possible solutions
providing formative
feedback on a regular
basis to all by the tutor is
time consuming
•strengthen peer-to-peer feedback
•introduce a buddy system from the very beginning
•communicate regularity of tutor feedback from the start:
up to 5 times?
•sample feedback
•introduce self-feedback
•use cohort feedback
sharing openly feedback:
students feel
uncomfortable that this is
shared
•create safe environment, community
•clarify the purpose of this openly-shared feedback for
development and learning
•agree characteristics of shared feedback practice
•priority to be shared with peers and not with the whole
world
•consider making portfolios private and share only with
group
Students might feel
judged and embarrassed
Careful formulation of feedback, use Socratic questioning to
provide further opportunities to think and consider different
perspectives, identify opportunities for further discussion,
emphasise on the developmental character of feedback

16.
Does the openly shared feedback work?
Juliette and Chrissi
? ?

17.
Chrissi and Juliette
Any
questions?

18.
Locked? Why?

19.
open-up!

20.
References
• Barrett, H. & Carney, J. (2004) Conflicting paradigms and competing purposes in
electronic portfolio development. Available at: http://electronicportfolios.org/
portfolios/LEAJournal-BarrettCarney.pdf [accessed 23/02/12].
• Earl, L. M. (2003) Assessment as learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
• Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D., Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross, D. and Smith, B.
(2004). Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback, Higher
Education Academy in partnership with the University of Central England:
Birmingham.
• Ruiz-Primo, M. A. (2011) Informal formative assessment; The role of instructional
dialogues in assessing students’ learning, in Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37,
pp. 15-24.
• Smith, C. and Nerantzi, C. (2013) ePortfolios: Assessment as learning using social
media, in: Miller, D. & Volk, B., E-Portfolio an der Schnittstelle von Studium und
Beruf, Münster: Waxmann, pp. 147-166,

21.
contact us!
• Chrissi Nerantzi:
c.nerantzi@salford.ac.uk /
@chrissinerantzi
• Juliette Wilson:
j.v.wilson@edu.salford.ac.uk /
@juliettephd