Enhancing Feedback through the INDAF Project
My name is Christof, and I am a Reader in Exercise, Health, and Rehabilitation in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. I joined Loughborough in 2009 to complete my PhD at the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, where I now lead the Health and Wellbeing Strand. Recently, I led the development of the INDAF (Individual Assessment Feedback) project, an innovative application designed to provide detailed, individualised feedback to students, thereby enhancing their learning experience.
The context
High-quality feedback is widely recognised as a crucial factor in student achievement. However, providing detailed, individualised feedback can be time-consuming and challenging, especially with increasing student numbers.
Traditional exam marking often results in students receiving only their overall mark, missing out on valuable insights into their performance. This gap in feedback can negatively impact student learning and satisfaction, as reflected in low NSS feedback scores across the sector.
The action
To address these challenges, I developed the INDAF application, which automates the process of generating individualised feedback reports based on existing part marks from exams. The application categorises exam questions into thematic subcategories and calculates performance marks for each subcategory, highlighting areas of strength and areas needing improvement. This process culminates in a detailed feedback report for each student.
Collaboration was key to the success of the INDAF project. Engaging with students and staff allowed me to understand their specific needs and challenges. Through regular consultation and feedback sessions I was able to identify areas for improvement and fine-tune the application. This iterative process ensured that the final product was well-received and that INDAF was tailored to meet the diverse requirements of our community, making it more effective and user-friendly.
Aware of the potential impact on workload that might result from adapting to the new approach I incorporated staff feedback obtained during the pilot phases and through informal consultations into the app's development over time.
In addition to help minimise the overall administrative workload, I worked closely with colleagues to automate the process of uploading reports to students' profiles, and by training a dedicated INDAF Admin support person to handle extra tasks. We also created help videos based on screen capture recordings to allow independent use of INDAF, supplemented with written user guides.
I thought the feedback system was brilliant and really appreciate knowing where my weaknesses lie within the module.
The outcome
The INDAF project has significantly enhanced the feedback process within SSEHS and MEME, where Students now receive detailed feedback that helps them identify areas for improvement and focus their efforts more effectively.
The high engagement with the feedback reports and positive student comments highlight the value of this approach. Staff have also benefited from reduced workload and fewer student queries.
During the SSEHS-wide rollout in January 2022, INDAF produced 5,754 feedback reports across 42 modules, with over 4,000 reports viewed by students.