Giving better feedback — a crash course

A lot of feedback is never used — because it arrives too late, says too much, or doesn't tell the student what to do. Usable feedback fixes those three things.

• Comment on a few things that matter, not everything you notice.
• Be specific and tie each comment to the criteria and a next step.
• Return it in time for students to use on the next task — not after.

Feedback works better as a conversation than a delivery. When students respond to it, they engage with it.

• Invite students to reply, ask questions, and self-assess first.
• Separate feedback from the grade — comments get read when the mark isn't there to skip to.
• Build in a moment to act on it before the task is ‘done’.

Students need to learn how to recognise, judge and use feedback. That capability — feedback literacy — can be designed for.

• Use exemplars so students can see what ‘good’ looks like.
• Help students develop evaluative judgement — appraising their own and others’ work.
• Make the link from this feedback to the next task explicit.

Good feedback shouldn't cost you your weekends. Much of the effort can move earlier, or be shared.

• Use whole-class, audio, or template feedback where individual comments repeat.
• Use peer feedback as a designed, supported learning activity — not a shortcut.
• Front-load effort into task and rubric design so marking has less to carry.