Student perceptions of the ‘best’ feedback practices: An evaluation of student-led teaching award nominations at a higher education institution

There is great emphasis in contemporary higher education to address the seemingly consistent issue of what students perceive to be good assessment feedback practice. Improving this aspect of the student experience continues to elude higher education institutions, as reflected in the nationally lower than average scores in the United Kingdom’s annual National Student Survey questions on prompt feedback, which makes this a timely area for further investigation and discussion. To investigate student perceptions of feedback, this article examines the qualitative data from three years of student-led teaching awards nominations at the University of Winchester for the category "Best Lecturer for Constructive and Efficient Feedback." From this study, new revelations with regard to the student perception of the “best” lecturers’ feedback practices have come to light, including terminology, language, and emphasis on email turnaround, rather than the actual format of the feedback itself (such as handwritten, audio, e-submission). Key findings include that students focus on the quality of the linguistic elements of feedback rather than the mode of delivery. The study also finds that students are often perceiving feedback in a literal sense, with many staff nominated based on their informal email responses rather than the formal assignment feedback often attributed to this question in the National Student Survey. In order to tease out the repetitive emerging themes for which practices students are perceiving to be “good” feedback, this article outlines the findings of this study, including the methodology and nomination process of the student-led teaching awards at the University of Winchester

Who They Are and How to Engage Them:A Summary of the REACT Systematic Literature Review of the 'Hard to Reach' in Higher Education

This article reports upon the systematic literature review of hard to reach students carried out as part of the REACT (Realising Engagement through Active Culture Transformation) project. The review has been undertaken in order to critically assess the concept of hard to reach and attempt to bring some clarity to the use of the term, as well as to add empirical rigour and much-needed context to discussion in this area. The review also explores methods that have been used to explicitly engage the hard to reach, thereby providing a resource for policy makers, researchers and also practitioners who are working to increase inclusivity or better engage their students. The article presents a summary of the initial findings of the review

Teaching Medical Students to Help Patients Manage Their Weight: Outcomes of an Eight-School Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Given the rising rates of obesity there is a pressing need for medical schools to better prepare students for intervening with patients who have overweight or obesity and for prevention efforts. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a multi-modal weight management curriculum on counseling skills for health behavior change. DESIGN: A pair-matched, group-randomized controlled trial (2015-2020) included students enrolled in eight U.S. medical schools randomized to receive either multi-modal weight management education (MME) or traditional weight management education (TE). SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Students from the class of 2020 (N=1305) were asked to participate in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) focused on weight management counseling and complete pre and post surveys. A total of 70.1% of eligible students (N=915) completed the OSCE and 69.3% (N=904) completed both surveys. INTERVENTIONS: The MME implemented over three years included a web-based course, a role-play classroom exercise, a web-patient encounter with feedback, and an enhanced clerkship experience with preceptors trained in weight management counseling (WMC). Counseling focused on the 5As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) and patient-centeredness. MEASUREMENTS: The outcome was student 5As WMC skills assessed using an objective measure, an OSCE, scored using a behavior checklist, and a subjective measure, student self-reported skills for performing the 5As. RESULTS: Among MME students who completed two of three WMC components compared to those who completed none, exposure was significantly associated with higher OSCE scores and self-reported 5A skills. LIMITATIONS: Variability in medical schools requiring participation in the WMC curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: This trial revealed that medical students struggle with delivering weight management counseling to their patients who have overweight or obesity. Medical schools, though restrained in adding curricula, should incorporate should incorporate multiple WMC curricula components early in medical student education to provide knowledge and build confidence for supporting patients in developing individualized plans for weight management. NIH TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: R01-194787