From monologue to dialogue: improving written feedback processes in mass higher education

TLDR

Student surveys worldwide reveal widespread dissatisfaction with written feedback, prompting institutions to seek improvements, yet the prevailing focus on comment quality overlooks the loss of dialogue inherent in mass higher education’s one‑way feedback. This study argues that students’ and teachers’ dissatisfaction with written feedback stems from a lack of dialogue and advocates adopting a dialogical approach to feedback design. The authors propose methods to enhance feedback dialogue in large classes without increasing staff workload, outlining practical strategies for fostering interaction.

Abstract

Student surveys across the world have highlighted that students are dissatisfied with the feedback they receive on their assignments and many institutions have been putting plans in place to address this issue. Much of this work has focused on improving the quality of written comments. This paper takes a different perspective. It argues that the many diverse expressions of dissatisfaction with written feedback, both from students and teachers, are all symptoms of impoverished dialogue. Mass higher education is squeezing out dialogue with the result that written feedback, which is essentially a one‐way communication, often has to carry almost all the burden of teacher–student interaction. The paper suggests ways in which the nature and quality of feedback dialogue can be enhanced when student numbers are large without necessarily increasing demands on academic staff. It concludes with a conceptual discussion of the merits of taking a dialogical approach when designing feedback.