The student perspective on the effectiveness of current feedback and the co-creation of marking rubrics

The student perspective on the effectiveness of current feedback and the co-creation of marking rubric

Lead: Gurpreet Chouhan

Team: Erin Dilger, Gill Frigerio, John Gough, Debbi Marais (co-lead), Alyson Quinn, Amerjit Singh, Katrine Wallis

Year:2024-2025

Summary

National surveys highlight ongoing dissatisfaction with feedback clarity among postgraduate taught students across healthcare and related disciplines. This project investigated whether co-creating marking rubrics with students can improve assessment understanding and feedback effectiveness.

Using a mixed-methods design, 24 PGT students from three University of Warwick departments (Warwick Medical School, School of Life Sciences, Centre of Lifelong Learning) participated in surveys and a workshop reviewing existing rubrics.

Preliminary results showed moderate feedback usefulness (3.46/5) and low satisfaction (2.96/5), with only 25% fully understanding rubric use. Students called for clearer criteria, alignment with learning outcomes, timely feedback, and tailored support, especially for international learners, emphasising student-centred, collaborative feedback approaches.

Key Outcomes:

1. Rubric evaluation across three departments

The project enabled the systematic evaluation of assessment rubrics in three departments. This provided valuable insights into how rubrics are currently being applied, their consistency across markers, and their effectiveness in supporting transparent and equitable assessment practices.

2. Co-creation of assessment rubrics with students

A core achievement of the project was the active involvement of students in the co-creation of assessment rubrics. This collaborative approach not only enhanced student understanding of assessment criteria but also empowered them to contribute to the design of fairer and more meaningful measures of performance.

3. Strengthened cross-departmental learning

By working across three departments, the project facilitated the exchange of good practice, identified common challenges, and generated scalable recommendations for the wider use of rubrics in assessment.