Work

Exploring the ‘wicked’ problem of student dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback in higher education

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Student dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback is a significant challenge for most UK Higher Education Institutions according to a key national survey. This paper explores the meaning, challenges and potential opportunities for enhancement in assessment and feedback within the authors' own institution as illustrative of approaches that can be taken elsewhere. Using a qualitative design, a review of assessment and feedback, which included an exploration of students' perceptions, was made in one College of the University. The findings highlighted variations in assessment and feedback practice across the College with dissatisfaction typically being due to misunderstanding or miscommunication between staff and students. Drawing on the review, we assert in this paper that students' dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback is not a 'tame' problem for which a straightforward solution exists. Instead, it is a 'wicked' problem that requires a complex approach with multiple interventions.

Source: Higher Education Pedagogies

DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2019.1644659

Authors: Susan J. Deeley, Moira Fischbacher-Smith, Dimitar Karadzhov, Elina Koristashevskaya

Institution: University of Glasgow

Language: English

Topic: Student Assessment and Feedback

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $1,165