Connecting assessment and feedback: A customised and personalised experience for knowledge-building

Abstract

Formative assessment coupled with effectual feedback is instrumental in enhancing student-learning experience and contributing to knowledge-building. However, feedback does not always translate into the desired outcomes for students receiving feedback and this compromises educational experiences and goals. In this small-scale empirical study, we worked with five postgraduate Honours students at a university in South Africa to explore their experiences of feedback on formative assessments in the learning space. We focused in a nuanced way on innovative opportunities and practices of feedback in the digital age. The data collected from the semi-structured interviews revealed that participants understood the value of quality formative assessment and feedback. Most participants reacted negatively to assessment grids and feedback received from lecturers. Some were unaccustomed to digital formative assessment and feedback as a developmental tool. They recommended a discipline-specific blended feedback approach that incorporates face-to-face feedback to make the digital feedback provided to them more meaningful. This would provide useful feedback that would create a customised and personalised learning experience for students in collaborative knowledge-building.