Consistent student feedback in digital assessment

Here we introduce digital technologies which you can use towards your Annual Student Experience Review (ASER) actions on assessment and feedback.

You can now bring together feedback from different modules in the new MyFeedback report in Moodle. MyFeedback gives students (and their tutors) an overview of progress (marks and feedback) over time and across all Moodle spaces. Even if you aren't collecting any file upload or submission, you can still use Moodle to give marks and feedback so that these display in MyFeedback.

On this page:

ASER Action: advance explanation of criteria

Departments must ensure that they have built into every module or seminar series at least two weeks before the first assignment is due, at least one session in which the marking criteria for that module are explained in detail to students in a forum where they have an opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification if required.

Advantages of setting up criteria in Moodle:

The criteria display as a grid or marking guide within the assignment on Moodle, so it is easy students to refer to them throughout.
That grid or guide can then be used to give feedback; it is easy to indicate the level students have achieved, and there is scope for a comment for each criterion. Feedback given like this is well-contextualised.
The grid or guide can be shared within Moodle.
It can easily be edited for your particular needs.
It links to MyFeedback, which brings together each student's feedback from across Moodle, providing an overview of progress.

Both Turnitin and Moodle Assignment enable criteria. Your School's Digital Education Advisor can help you decide which to use.

Guides:

Comparison of Moodle Assignment and Turnitin.
Enacting educational principles with assessment technologies - a practical guide - a practical guide.
Guide: M11 - Moodle Assignment.
Guide: M20 - Turnitin Assignment.
Guide: M20f - Turnitin Rubric - criteria display with descriptors for each level.
Guide: M11c - Moodle Assignment Rubric - criteria display with descriptors for each level.
Guide: M11b - Moodle Assignment marking guides - criteria display without level descriptors, but with feedback and optional numeric mark for each.
Guide: M20e - Turnitin gading forms - criteria display without level descriptors, but with feedback and optional numeric mark for each.

Demonstrations:

How rubrics display to students

ASER Action: consistent feedback template

Each department must agree a consistent student feedback template for any given assignment which makes appropriate reference to the marking criteria and explains to students how they can improve their work in future. These, or requests for exemptions in exceptional circumstances, must be submitted to Faculty Teaching Committees for approval.

Moodle and Turnitin allow you to present feedback in a consistent way through a single interface which can include, in close proximity:

A marking grid ('Rubric') or marking guide, with summary or general feedback - this can include e.g. best aspects and what to work on to improve. See the guides linked above.
An uploaded file of feedback for each student - this could be a standard pro-forma including a grid and summary feedback.
(Again, refer to the Comparison of Moodle Assignment and Turnitin for the main differences between these platforms, in a nutshell).

A major advantage of giving feedback via Moodle is that it can be aggregated in MyFeedback. MyFeedback brings together digital feedback in one place, for each student to see, making it easy to cross reference and get an overview of progress.

To come: demonstration of how feedback can be given in Moodle & Turnitin.

To come: video showing criteria in use.

Find out more

Contact your School's Digital Education Advisor.

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