Writing Educationally Sound Feedback

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WRITING EDUCATIONALLY SOUND FEEDBACK
James Ware Project Director in Teaching and
Learning Hong Kong Train the Trainer Workshop
October 29, 2003
Hong Kong International Consortium
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Reasons for Writing Feedback

• Increase usefulness of formative assessments

• Students surveyed rate formative feedback highly

• IT enhanced curricula facilitates feedback
  online

• Impact on high stakes examinations thoroughly
  researched (although less so for formative)

• No existing formula or format as yet

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FEEDBACK
Increasingly the validity and impact of our
assessments have been evaluated
Feedback has not come under the same scrutiny
Style of feedback little changed, while delivery
has radically changed
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COMPONENTS OF FEEDBACK
MeSH
GENERAL
SCORE
TARGETED
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Consider the Level of Feedback

• Basic medical science
• Clinical up to graduation
• Postgraduate avoid the complexity

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FEEDBACK
A-Type
Following hip fracture in the elderly the major
determinant of long-term outcome is

1. Time to surgical fixation
2. Intensity of the rehabilitation programme
3. Degree of disability present before the facture
4. Type of hip fracture

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Types of Feedback

• MeSH Terms
• Hip Fractures Treatment Outcome

• SUMMARY
• General, for textbook look-up, one line
• Detailed, to explain concepts or vignette,
  several lines

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Targeted Feedback

• For each option specify
• Why true but not best
• Why true and best
• Use one or two lines of info
• Never simply state correct or incorrect

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Use of MeSH with FEEDBACK

• When delivery is online
• Provides linkage through web
• Same as used in classification

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Composing Feedback for the Item
Recall the item . . .
Following hip fracture in the elderly the major
determinant of long-term outcome is

1. Time to surgical fixation
2. Intensity of the rehabilitation programme
3. Degree of disability present before the facture
4. Type of hip fracture

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SUMMARY OR GENERAL FEEDBACK EXAMPLES

• Summary
• Outcome following fractures and their
  management
• Detailed
• Determinants of early and long-term
  outcome are morbidity, mortality and quality of
  life.

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TARGETED FEEDBACK EXAMPLES

1. Time to surgical fixation
2. Intensity of the rehabilitation programme
3. Degree of disability present before the facture
4. Type of hip fracture

• A Pre-op delay increases post-op
  complications..
• B Factors in early mobilisation
• C General fitness is a major determinant of
  QLY..
• D Association with complication rates..

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Guides for R-Type Feedback

• Justification or explanation for the best option
• Not to explain why all other alternatives are
  incorrect
• If multimedia used in item, use again in feedback
• Consider using multimedia, regardless, to enhance

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If using Multimedia in Feedback to R-Type

• THEME
• OPTIONS include multimedia but more demanding
• VIGNETTE include multimedia here for
  efficiency
• QUESTION

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Example of Multimedia Feedback
If Item uses the following illustration in
vignette
. . . for example
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FEEDBACK
Label and use again in Feedback
HEPATIC FLEXURE
DISEASED BOWEL
NORMAL BOWEL
ANUS
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Key Features Feedback

• Similar approach for R type

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Summary

• Remember the level
• MeSH Terms x 2
• Summary or Detailed General Feedback
• Targeted feedback
• Added value -- multimedia