A3: Evaluation of teaching practice: Assessment & Feedback
For second-year BA Fine Art students at the Camberwell School of Art. One of my responsibilities as a lecturer is to assess students’ studio-based practice and the development of their art practice. In this case study I will be discussing both assessments and giving feedback and the engagement of receiving feedback during formative and summative assessments and other non-assessment moments in between to support, guide and advise on improving and developing aspects of the work. Feedback in the form of written, verbal and group peer feedback. My aim as a lecturer is to support students in their development and build trust and relationships. My observation is that most of the students do not always take advice from tutors or read feedback. Students focus on receiving higher grades.
In Frontiers in Psychology, the article on Responsibility-Sharing in the Giving and Receiving of Assessment Feedback by Robert A. Nash and Naomi E. Winstone (2017) describes ‘enhancing shared responsibilities between educator and student, the receiver of feedback is not good at receiving it, and giver of feedback is not good at giving it’. The ‘consumerist’ identity of students who become detached from their personal responsibilities in the learning process, and place unrealistic accountability on educators to deliver results and to resolve all challenges. In my opinion, this leads to mistrust between educators and students’ relationship. This is a challenge to address as higher education has become a consumerist relationship. Putting a stronger focus on student-centred approaches can emphasise student responsibility in learning rather than focusing on the educator. Student practice autonomy within the learning process, the key factor is interdependence, rather than the student being completely independent or dependent.
In UAL Course Designer: Designing Inclusive Assessment Tim Stephens and Elizabeth Staddon describe assessments for learning as ‘both summative and formative feedback points can be used as learning opportunities. Assessment for learning should also help lecturers to differentiate their teaching, resources, practice or the learning environment for the students’ benefit.’ I agree with this point but there are many other timely points we provide feedback which is learning opportunities for students to embrace. The effectiveness of feedback still rests partly on the quality and timeliness of the information that is communicated, it also, critically, rests on how well and how proactively the student engages with this information. Students and educators can work to remove the barriers to engaging with assessment feedback. To overcome a lack of awareness of what feedback means and what it is for, the educator’s responsibilities should include ensuring that the feedback we provide is clear, transparent, and linked to grading criteria. Students, on the other hand, have responsibilities including seeking clarification over the meaning of the feedback they receive. In overcoming barriers to cognisance, educators might build time in the curriculum for training students in the skills underlying the implementation of feedback.
I think neither student nor educator can fulfil their roles without each other’s engagement. We need to shift the emphasis on shared responsibility rather than shifting the blame.