Perceptions and expectations of education and engineering professors about feedback on written assignments

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the perceptions and expectations of a group of engineering and education professors regarding the feedback from student written assignments. Six professors from each faculty, education and engineering, volunteered for this study. Each professor answered an in-depth semi-structured interview that was analyzed using NVivo v.11. The results show that the expectations of the engineering teachers regarding their students' written assignments is for students to show the knowledge level they already had or that they show the knowledge acquired while doing a writing task. Education teachers expect students to show good spelling, penmanship, coherence, and good content in their writings. In regards to the reception and feedback from students, it is concluded that the professors perceived a negative reception from their students to written assignments, but the professors also perceived a positive reaction from their students to the feedback provided.