A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Evaluating courses and teaching
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1 feedback from students (by far the commonest source of feedback);
2 feedback from teaching colleagues and professional peers (see Chapter 28);
3 self-generated feedback (which comprises reflections and observations by an
individual or a group of colleagues on their teaching).
If it is to be considered appropriately systematic and robust, any feedback strategy is
likely to make use of at least two – and preferably all three – of these sources, since each
has its own distinctive advantages and limitations. Feedback from students, for instance,
offers direct access to the ‘learners’ eye-view’, and students are uniquely qualified to
comment on matters such as clarity of presentation, pacing of material, access to online
resources or library facilities, ‘bunching’ of assignment deadlines and helpfulness of
tutors’ feedback on written work. But there are some issues where departmental teaching
colleagues may be better equipped to comment: for instance, on the appropriateness
of course aims, content and structure; on the design of resource materials; or on alternatives
in devising and marking assignments, tests and examinations. And third, there
is self-generated feedback, which is grounded in the day-to-day teaching experiences,
perceptions and reflections of the individuals concerned. The aim of self-generated
feedback is not to enable university teachers to act as judge and jury in their own cause,
but rather to promote self-scrutiny and cultivate reflection. It can open up valuable
opportunities to ‘capitalize on the good things’ and to ‘repair mistakes quickly before
they get out of hand’ (Ramsden and Dodds, 1989: 54).
Over and above these three main sources of feedback, there is a fourth which,
though readily available, is often underexploited or goes unnoticed: the ‘incidental
feedback’ which is to be found in the everyday routines of university teaching and
course administration and therefore does not call for the use of specific survey techniques.
It includes readily available information such as attendance levels; pass, fail,
progression, transfer and drop-out rates; patterns of distribution of marks or grades; the
natureof the choices that students make in choosing between assignment topics or test
and examination questions; and the reports of external examiners or subject reviewers.
It can also encompass the kinds of unobtrusive observations which can be made in
a teaching-learning situation, such as a lecture: how alert and responsive the students
are; whether many of them seem tired, distracted or uninvolved; to what extent
they react to what is said by looking at the teacher or avoiding his or her gaze
(Bligh, 1998).
Interrogating practice
How do you make use of incidental feedback? Does it form part of your own
reflective practice?