CPD Workshop: Giving Effective Feedback on Writing

Giving Effective Feedback on Writing

Description workshop

How much and what kinds of feedback help students most, and what helps them least? And how much feedback is effective? How can we as tutors give adequate feedback on writing to enhance learning without burning out? This workshop looks at how to give effective personalized feedback that helps students to develop. We will explore and discuss the different rhetorical moves feedback-givers can use and their impact on the student, how to target priority concerns so as to increase the chances of uptake, the pros and cons of face-to-face and written feedback, and how to balance constructive criticism and encouragement. The workshop will focus around discussions of how to respond to some samples of student writing. Although the workshop was developed to help with feedback on writing, much of what is discussed will be relevant to giving feedback for other types of student output.

Intended learning outcomes

In participating in this CPD activity, you will be able to:

…provide helpful feedback to students on their assignment or academic performance,
…balance encouragement and constructive criticism so that students feel motivated to improve,
…prioritise student needs so that feedback is manageable and time effective,
…make appropriate decisions about the medium you use to give feedback,
…focus more on feedforward (lessons for the future) than on the present product.

About the trainer

John Harbord is Academic Writing Advisor at FASoS and a member of the FASoS Assessment Support Team. He has some 25 years’ experience in giving feedback on student writing and training academic staff to give effective feedback. He also provides student workshops on how to give effective peer feedback, and how to use and learn from feedback received.

A note about the costs
EDLAB is currently offering all CPD activities free of charge. Please note however that we have paid to develop and offer this session together with the trainers, so if you sign up but cannot attend, we would greatly appreciate it if you could give us at least 5 days’ notice so that we can advertise your spot to others who may be interested. Cancellation without at least 5 days’ notice or failure to show up may result in your department being charged the full cost price.

EDLAB reserves the right to postpone this event should a minimum of 6 participants not be reached.

Activity full or can’t make this date? Then sign up for the waiting list and we’ll let you know as soon as this event is scheduled again.