Dual use of feedback – formative and evaluative

This paper looks at how an atmosphere which encourages increased dialogue in teaching and learning situations can be of benefit to both staff and students. Use of active learning strategies, to encourage learners to engage with material, are widely used in Engineering education and when combined with classroom assessment techniques, can foster learning and allow formative feedback to be provided simultaneously to students and staff. Feedback is of course required by students to inform their learning, but the need for teaching staff to make use of feedback to evaluate and inform their practice is often overlooked. This paper looks at how the dual use of feedback can be more widely exercised in both large and smaller class teaching. Activities designed to generate feedback for students may also be evaluative for staff, supporting a reflective approach to teaching practice in both the short and long term. The opposite is also true; an opportunity planned to give staff information on their teaching can also be used to provide feedback to students. The paper will give examples of practice which have yielded an insight for staff as to student misconceptions and also their interests which may be immediately employed in subsequent teaching sessions.