In traditional course design, much of the assessment focusses on an individual submission, encouraging students to focus on the summative assessment instead of developing the expertise (Gibbs & Simpson, 2004). By embedding active feedback within class activities there is a shift in students’ focus on assessment outcomes to also being focussed on skills development. The applied course example outlined, a capstone MBA course, demonstrates how to employ active feedback, using the DO-COMPARE-(make) EXPLICIT framework within a course, whilst highlighting the importance of using resources as comparisons (Nicol, 2022).
Furthermore, non-similar resource comparisons can be powerful learning tools when used with the active feedback approach. Commonly, resources for comparison are often confined to exemplars and similar resources. By curating resources that are different from the task teachers can unlock a great deal of learning that often goes untapped.
The method has positive implications on workload with the potential for this approach to reduce time spent providing feedback by transferring the emphasis of generating feedback to students. Student agency is emphasised with students remaining in control of their own learning throughout. Within the experiential environment, this can support self-regulated learning, much in the same way that it would in the workplace. Students control the creation of their own resources requiring only minimal scaffolding from the teacher, changing the role of the teacher, from font of knowledge to guide.
Crucially, students apply the active feedback approach themselves, creating or sourcing their own resources and thus enhancing their understanding of the topic.

Authors:
Nick Quinn, University of Glasgow, Adam Smith Business School, United Kingdom
Alison Gibb, University of Glasgow, Adam Smith Business School, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Nick Quinn is a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow. His work is focused on experiential learning, the development of graduate attributes and professional skills and active feedback.

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