Iterated assessment and feedback improves student outcomes

Abstract

Feedback is critically important to student learning, but reduced frequency of assignments combined with isolated or stand-alone tasks reduces the opportunity for students to engage with feedback and use it effectively to enhance their learning. Here, I evaluate student attainment during a module consisting of eight iterated tasks where the task itself is the same but the academic content differs. At the end of the module, students then self-assess their eight submissions and select two for summative assessment. I demonstrate that achievement increases over the course of the module, and that choice is valuable in allowing students to achieve higher summative marks for the course than their formative marks would suggest. Students who performed more weakly at the start of the module saw the greatest benefits from practice and choice, suggesting that these students particularly can benefit from repeated cycles of feedback and increase their marks.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Print ISSN: 0307-5079
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• APA6 Citation: Morrell, L. J. (in press). Iterated assessment and feedback improves student outcomes. Studies in higher education, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1643301
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1643301
• Keywords: Assessment; Sustainable feedback; Self-assessment; Iterated assessment; Iterative assessment
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2019.1643301
• Additional Information: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Studies in Higher Education following peer review.