Y1Feedback – Digital Learning Dispatches

A highly successful Feedback Symposium was held at Maynooth University as the final deliverable of the Y1 Feedback project. The Symposium gave an opportunity for around 150 participants from across Irish higher education institutions to explore, discuss, and share approaches to enhancing feedback in first year. Each participant as part of their registration received a free copy of the literature review on contemporary feedback approaches published by the project team.

The programme included keynote presentations from a number of international experts on assessment and feedback, including Professor David Carless (video introduction), Professor Tansy Jessop, Professor David Nicol, and Dr. Naomi Winstone, author of a recently published Feedback Toolkit.

As part of the programme, and at the centre of the day, the Symposium also helped to showcase the range of technology-enabled feedback case studies developed by the Y1 Feedback project. Y1 Feedback case study participants collaborated across Maynooth University, Athlone IT, Dundalk IT, and Dublin City University. Several NIDL staff contributed presentations at the Symposium and case studies on topics ranging from learning analytics (Dr Mark Glynn), the use of Peer Wise (Dr Eamon Costello) and the adoption of programme-wide assessment and feedback strategy (led by Dr James Brunton.

The Y1 Feedback project team, led by Lisa O’Regan, and including Orna Farrell and Professor Mark Brown from the NIDL, is shown in the photo below. Congratulations to everyone involved in what was a very productive and rewarding professional collaboration.

The final presentation on the Y1 Feedback project funded by the National Forum was given by project lead Lisa O’Regan to the review panel in October, 2016. This project set out to pilot technology enhanced feedback approaches to facilitate teacher feedback/feedforward and peer-feedback in large first year classes to support student transition. An extensive review of existing experience in this area was undertaken based on a literature review and survey of existing practice.

The basic assumption is that technology enabled feedback approaches can support learning designs that may not otherwise be possible due to time, large groups, or location as well as providing more opportunities for teachers to provide ongoing dialogical feedback. Currently the final phase of the project is underway in documenting a number of Y1 Feedback case studies of effective feedback practices. The results of the Y1 Feedback project will be presented at a Feedback Symposium at Maynooth University at the end of January 2017.