Using feedback effectively

Feedback helps identify strengths and skills gaps to address. You need to respond to feedback in a positive way.

• View comments as specific to assignment rather than a personal judgement
  • Use them to feed forward and improve what you do next time
• Recognise that comments can be subjective

  • One person may not like your writing style but if all your other lecturers are happy with it, it might not be a priority to change

• Understand what the feedback/feed forward is saying – if in doubt seek clarification
• Give yourself time to understand the feedback
  • Sometimes things only make sense after consideration or in the context of doing another assignment.
• Make an action plan on what you are going to improve and how you are going to do it.

10 questions for you to test yourself to see how well you currently respond to feedback.

1. When I receive comments on my work, I look first at the comments before the mark or grade.

Always

Sometimes

Never

2. I am not influenced by the mark or grade when I look at feedback.

Always

Sometimes

Never

3. If the mark is better than expected, I analyse carefully to see why.

Always

Sometimes

Never

4. If the mark was worse than expected, I analyse to see why.

Always

Sometimes

Never

5. I am not influenced by who the tutor is when looking at comments - it doesn't matter if I like them or not.

Always

Sometimes

Never

6. I take careful note of positive comments and analyse them to inform future work.

Always

Sometimes

Never

7. I do not get upset by critical comments.

Always

Sometimes

Never

8. I take careful note of the causes of critical feedback to analyse how to avoid these in future.

Always

Sometimes

Never

9. I share the feedback comments with other students and learn more about the comments they received.

Always

Sometimes

Never

10. I make an action plan based on the feedback.

Always

Sometimes

Never

 

Quiz feedback

Mostly Never

You expect feedback will be negative and don’t always feel confident in your ability to fix problems highlighted by a feedback process. Negative feedback feels like a personal attack. If you are fearful of feedback, you’ll avoid opportunities if they will involve more exposure to it. Try to take feedback as an opportunity to grow and improve

Mostly Sometimes

You have variable feelings about feedback. When you get mostly positive feedback with a few negatives thrown in, you sometimes take the negatives to heart. While in many instances you can accept that feedback isn’t personal, sometimes you get caught up in worrying

Mostly Always

You generally think of feedback and criticism as helpful and you're not threatened by it. If you are a little disappointed when you get negative feedback, you are able to see this in context. You are good at taking feedback and making the necessary changes. You don’t automatically jump to the conclusion that negative feedback means someone doesn’t like you