On the one hand, providing written and verbal feedback on students’ work is a key element in the learning process. It is the point at which we are able to engage in the most detailed way with a student’s arguments, evaluate their demonstrated abilities, and provide direct, constructive advice. It is also a crucial moment in the student experience: receiving careful and considered evaluation from someone they respect and recognise as an expert in their chosen field. On the other hand, providing feedback can be time-consuming, laborious and uninteresting for the marker; receiving limited, cryptic or critical feedback can be demoralising for the student, and cause them to disengage. Worse yet, there is a suspicion (backed by some evidence) that most students do not read the feedback they are given, at all.

The aim of this workshop is to develop a way of thinking about feedback as an intervention in the student’s learning process. Drawing on up-to-date research, we will discuss presenting feedback in a way that is easily internalised by the recipient, minimises negative emotional responses, promotes constructive behavioural change, and makes the best use of the marker’s time.