This week’s blog post will consider Assessment Feedback through the lens of students who study at supported distance learning institutions – like the Open University. We will consider innovations in Assessment Feedback and consider where tutors (and other members of staff concerned with Learning and Teaching) may find relevant and timely scholarship to start their own investigations into rapidly emerging subject matter such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).
My OU Student Feedback Experience
My hand hovered over the mouse, hesitant to click on the document and open the first piece of feedback from my OU tutor. When I finally managed to click the button and load the screen, relief washed over me – the mark wasn’t too bad. I did have to reacquaint myself with the OU’s unique marking system, but there were some encouraging words from my module tutor.
Three words jumped out to me from the text: “you write well.” This was significant to me – I had been so anxious about my ability to write. As a mature student, I hadn’t written in an academic style for a while, even though engaging with academic texts was necessary for my work role. I started my degree with the OU full of self-doubt and I questioned my abilities at every opportunity.
Reflecting on my years of pursuing an open degree with the OU, I realise that carefully crafted assessment feedback, with snippets of encouragement weaved through out, greatly impacted my engagement with my course. It’s easy to let your studies fall by the wayside when you’re in doubt and insecurity about your studies – add to that – juggling work, caregiving, and other responsibilities that mature students often face – let’s just say I was on the brink of withdrawing many times. I don’t know for sure if those words kept me on the course, but they certainly helped keep me going.
My assessment feedback experience with the OU was shaped by interactions with my tutors and these experiences were always positive and affirming. They reassured me of my right to undertake study at degree level, dispelled my angst and helped me to leap those tumultuous barriers to effective study and progression.
The Importance of Assessment Feedback for Supported Distance Learning Students
It could be argued that assessment feedback is of increased importance to supported distance learning students. There are obvious benefits of feedback such as enhancing learning and understanding of module content , but feedback also provides a connection point between students and their tutors. Well-crafted feedback can encourage and motivate students, it can facilitate reflective skills, and develop independent study skills. All these skills are essential for successful distance learning.
The benefits of constructive feedback for supported distance learning students can be abstract and not easily defined or measured. Academic staff, and others involved with learning and teaching, have the opportunity to evaluate and contribute to this matter via scholarly investigation through dedicated faculty centres. Internal OU members of staff can visit the internal pages of our Scholarship Exchange centre. The enablement of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) within the institution allows for continuous inquiry into the most pertinent questions of educational practice, enabling a broad range of issues to be addressed. At the time of writing, there are a multitude of projects in progress looking at innovative and enhancement methods for assessment feedback. These projects span areas such as: the integration of video screencasts, personal and empathetic dialogue, automated feedback, feedback co-design and other various innovative approaches. It will come as no surprise then that Artificial Intelligence (AI), and it’s integration in education practice, is appearing as a subject of investigation with the SOTL space.
Innovative Enhancements to Assessment Feedback
Naturally, the scholarly exploration of AI within Higher Education’s teaching and learning practice has evolved to consider AI’s potential to enhance the assessment feedback process for learners. Where might one start their own scholarly exploration? We highly recommend beginning any current scholarly activity within your own institution and surveying emerging and established research and scholarship projects.
For diverse and timely perspectives – blog posts and articles can also provide valuable resources for practitioners and are useful for providing direction to further resources. Here is a small sample of varying relevance to the topic in question:
- The future of assessment: embracing AI and EdTech – Jisc
- https://wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/a-year-on-with-generation-ai/
- Analyzing an Artificial Intelligence-Supported Assessment and Student Feedback – Center for Engaged Learning
- https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/potential-artificial-intelligence-assessment-feedback
As with all technological advancements in education, we should be critical and aware of emerging issues i.e. ethical implications and impacts on the democratisation of education. These considerations are essential concerns as we integrate new technologies into our learning environments. Taking the advice of this blog post (of looking inward towards our own institutions’ research and scholarship) I can ascertain the OU’s Emeritus Professor of Educational Technology – Mike Sharples, has written and contributed extensively on this area, see for example the journal contribution below – hot off the press! The Manifesto for Teaching and Learning in a Time of Generative AI: A Critical Collective Stance to Better Navigate the Future | Open Praxis
Higher Education Conferences are important platforms for timely knowledge dissemination and opportunities for professional development. Conferences provide insight into the latest advances in both disciplinary and SOTL areas. The recent Staff Educational Developers Association (SEDA) conference being one such example. Most relevant to this blog post was a short ‘provocation’ talk “In Search of responsible Generative AI” presented by Sue Beckingham (Sheffield Hallam) and Peter Hartley (Edge Hill). Top tip – the abstract linked provides useful references to literature! Examples of topics discussed were ‘increasing advocacy’ (to uncritically embrace AI), ‘unethical practices’, and ‘environmental impact’. As a beginner to the subject, I was left eager to find out more.
Whilst HE sector conferences do have an essential purpose, our institutions also have a civic duty. This duty extends beyond our inward-looking endeavours to the dissemination of new knowledge to a broader audience through public engagement. The OU, for example, has a long history of critically examining innovations in technology and education. Below are two examples that highlight this commitment:
- https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/news/around-ou/university-news/the-open-university-and-department-for-education-launch-3m-ai-initiative-to-improve-educational-tools/
- https://kmi.open.ac.uk/news/article/26697
Making time to attend internal conferences, sector (and beyond) conferences and knowledge dissemination events can be a good vehicle to get you started on the scholarly road. OU internal staff may be particularly interested in the internal conference below.
Forging the way forward: AI in LTA at the OU
Wednesday 11 December, Time: 2:00 – 4:00pm via Microsoft Teams. Sign up via: My Learning Centre.
Share Your Practice?
Starting scholarly investigations in rapidly emerging areas such as AI can be an immensely arduous task – you might feel like you will never get off the starting block! We hope that we have given you a few pointers to start your journey. For those of you who are more established in scholarship, we’d like to encourage a conversation about how you attempt the endeavours. Please comment by leaving a reply to let us know your thoughts.