Promoting dialogue in the feedback process: face-to-face marking of assignments with biomedical science students

Abstract

Effective feedback requires active student engagement. We introduced the option of face-to-face (FtF) marking of an assignment in the fourth year of an undergraduate biomedical science degree. The offer was taken up by 69% of students and we used this approach for seven years before interruption by the coronavirus pandemic. Students with lower marks in the degree programme were less likely to opt in. An anonymous evaluation questionnaire, developed collaboratively with students in the first year of the initiative, revealed positive views on the experience: it provided students with a good idea of how they did well and how they could improve, confidence in seeking feedback in the future and was recommended by students for all levels of undergraduate education. FtF marking created a space for students to engage in dialogue about their academic performance and the marking process, and to give feedback to the lecturer, which in turn influenced teaching and assessment development. This feedback-as-process was also a potential ‘space of influence’, encouraging collegiate conversations with students about their professional development more generally as biomedical scientists.