Do students value feedback? Student perceptions of tutors' written responses

The topic of feedback to students is an under-researched area, and there has been little empirical research published which focuses on student perceptions. This study explores student perceptions of written feedback and examines whether feedback received demonstrated a student-centred approach to learning. A multi-method approach of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis was used to survey 44 students in the faculties of Business and Art & Design. Student responses show feedback is valued, but believed tutor comments could be more helpful. Survey results indicate that students may need advice on understanding and using feedback before they can engage with it. Content analysis of feedback samples and student responses uncovered four main themes of feedback considered unhelpful to improve learning: comments which were too general or vague, lacked guidance, focused on the negative, or were unrelated to assessment criteria. It is suggested that by focusing on messages conveyed by their writing, providing feedback set in the context of assessment criteria and learning outcomes, and by ensuring that it is timely, tutors could greatly improve the value of feedback

Activated reactive laser deposition of GeO, films

Amorphous GeO, optical thin films were grown in an oxygen ambient on heated Si substrates using the technique of pulsed laser deposition. The application of a partially ionized oxygen plasma generated by passing the plume through a ring electrode facilitated stoichiometric film growth in low O2 partial pressures. Emission spectroscopy of the plume revealed an enhancement in the ionic and neutral excited Ge species. The concentration of excited neutral and ionic oxygen atoms also significantly increased when the ring electrode was activated at P(O.-J>lO mTorr. Coupling the results of the film property measurements with the emission studies suggested that the presence of 0 atoms near the substrate surface during tilm growth was more critical in promoting oxidation than the gas phase process in the plume. The low-pressure conditions that were utilized to deposit stoichiometric film growth identified the appropriate conditions to produce uniform films over a large area that may be suitable for waveguide fabrication