Introduction
Assessment is an integral part of learning, but its effectiveness hinges not just on the grade awarded, but also on the quality, timeliness, and nature of the feedback provided to students. Constructive feedback helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and deepen their engagement with the subject matter. While both UK and US universities recognize the importance of feedback, the prevailing cultures, methods, and frequency of feedback dialogue can differ, influenced by assessment philosophies, class sizes, and pedagogical approaches. This article explores the nuances of academic feedback cultures in UK and US higher education.
Assessment Philosophies and Feedback Frequency
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UK: Emphasis on Summative Assessment: The traditional UK system often leans heavily towards summative assessment – high-stakes exams and essays at the end of a module or year that primarily sum up learning. While formative assessment (designed to inform ongoing learning) exists, feedback opportunities might be clustered around these major assignments. Feedback on final exams can sometimes be limited unless specifically requested or offered in generic cohort reports. The focus might be on detailed, qualitative feedback on substantial pieces of work (essays, dissertations) delivered via written comments or tutorial discussions. Turnaround times for feedback are often governed by university policies (e.g., within 3-4 weeks).
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US: Emphasis on Continuous/Formative Assessment: The US model, with its reliance on continuous assessment throughout a semester (quizzes, midterms, homework, participation, papers, projects), inherently creates more frequent points for potential feedback. Grades on smaller, regular assignments provide ongoing indicators of progress. Feedback might be delivered through graded assignments with comments, VLE/LMS grading rubrics, in-class discussions of common errors, or during TA-led sections. While potentially more frequent, the depth of feedback on each individual piece might vary compared to a major UK essay.
Forms and Methods of Feedback Delivery
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Written Comments: Standard practice in both systems for essays and papers. UK feedback might traditionally be more narrative and detailed on major essays. US feedback might utilize detailed rubrics alongside comments, particularly for standard assignments across large courses.
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Rubrics: Grading rubrics outlining specific criteria and performance levels are arguably more systematically used in the US system, particularly within VLEs/LMSs, to provide structured feedback and ensure grading consistency across multiple markers (like TAs). Their use is growing in the UK but might be less universal.
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Verbal Feedback:
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UK: The tutorial/supervision system is designed for direct, often intensive, verbal feedback and dialogue about submitted work or prepared arguments. This personalized interaction is a hallmark of the traditional UK model, particularly at collegiate universities or in smaller departments. Feedback may also occur in seminar discussions.
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US: Verbal feedback occurs during faculty office hours (which students are often strongly encouraged to attend), in seminar discussions, and potentially during TA-led discussion sections. The Socratic method used in some large US lectures, while not direct feedback on written work, involves real-time intellectual probing.
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Peer Feedback: Increasingly used in both systems, often facilitated through VLE workshops or in-class activities, to develop students’ evaluative skills and provide additional perspectives, though the weighting and formality vary.
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Automated Feedback: Tools for providing automated feedback on quizzes, grammar, or even basic programming assignments are used in both systems, particularly for scale and instantaneity, though recognized as limited in depth.
Feedback Literacy and Student Engagement
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Defining Feedback Literacy: Both systems grapple with ensuring students understand how to interpret and act upon the feedback they receive (“feedback literacy”). Simply providing comments isn’t enough; students need to engage with them actively.
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UK Initiatives: Focus often includes workshops on understanding feedback, using feedback for future assignments, and encouraging dialogue with tutors about feedback received. Personal tutor systems aim to support this.
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US Initiatives: Might involve explicit instruction on interpreting rubrics, encouraging revision based on feedback (sometimes allowing resubmission for improved grades on drafts), and leveraging academic support centres (like writing centres) to help students process and apply feedback. The frequent assessment cycle potentially provides more opportunities to demonstrate acting on feedback.
Challenges and Criticisms
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UK:
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Timeliness: Meeting feedback turnaround times amidst heavy marking loads can be challenging.
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Consistency: Ensuring consistency and quality of feedback across different markers within a module.
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Feedback on Exams: Providing meaningful feedback on traditional unseen exams can be difficult.
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Student Engagement: Ensuring students actively read, understand, and use the feedback provided, rather than just focusing on the grade.
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US:
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Depth vs. Breadth: Frequent feedback on smaller assignments might sometimes lack the depth of feedback on a major UK essay.
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TA Quality: Quality and consistency of feedback from Teaching Assistants can vary depending on their training and workload.
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Over-reliance on Rubrics: Potential for feedback to become overly generic or checklist-like if relying solely on rubrics without personalized comments.
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Grade Focus: The continuous assessment and GPA focus can sometimes lead students to prioritize the grade over engaging deeply with qualitative feedback.
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Cultural Expectations
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UK: Students may expect detailed, critical, and personalized feedback, especially within the tutorial tradition. There might be a perception that feedback is primarily the responsibility of the primary lecturer/tutor.
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US: Students might expect more frequent, if sometimes less in-depth, feedback aligned with the continuous assessment cycle. There’s often a greater expectation to proactively seek feedback during office hours or from TAs.
Conclusion
Effective feedback is crucial for student learning, and both UK and US universities are actively working to improve their practices. The UK system, often centred around summative assessments and the tutorial model, traditionally excels at providing in-depth, personalized feedback on major pieces of work, fostering critical dialogue. The US system, driven by continuous assessment, tends to offer more frequent feedback points through various assignments and grading tools like rubrics, potentially fostering ongoing monitoring of progress but sometimes sacrificing depth. Challenges related to timeliness, consistency, and ensuring student engagement with feedback exist in both systems. Ultimately, the most effective feedback culture likely involves a blend of approaches – timely, specific, actionable comments, clear criteria (rubrics), opportunities for dialogue (tutorials, office hours), and strategies to enhance student feedback literacy – tailored to the specific learning context.