by Naomi Winstone and David Carless

Over the past few years, feedback research and practice in higher education have experienced sustained research interest and significant advancements. These developments have been propelled by a deeper understanding of student responses to feedback, the impact of cultural and sociomaterial factors, and the affordances and challenges posed by digital assessment and feedback methods. In 2019, we published a book in the SRHE series titled Designing Effective Feedback Processes in Higher Education: A Learning-Focused Approach. Five years later, we find it pertinent to reflect on the changes in research, practice, and discourse surrounding feedback processes in higher education since the book’s release.

Shifting paradigms in feedback processes

The book aimed to achieve two primary objectives: to present findings from the SRHE-funded ‘feedback cultures’ project and to synthesise evidence on feedback processes that prioritise student learning – what we called learning-focused feedback. This evidence was then translated into practical guidance and stimulus for reflection. A core distinction made in the book was between an ‘old paradigm’, characterized by the one-way transmission of feedback comments from educators to students, and a ‘new paradigm’, which emphasises student learning through active engagement with feedback processes of different forms, including peer feedback, self-feedback and automated feedback.

The impact of recent developments

The past five years have seen seismic shifts affecting feedback processes. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the feasibility of alternative approaches to assessment and feedback, debunking many myths about insurmountable constraints. It brought issues of relationality and social presence to the forefront. Additionally, the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked debates on the distinct value of human involvement in feedback processes. Concurrently, higher education has grappled with sector-wide challenges, such as the devaluation of tuition fees in the UK and the intensification of the consumer-provider relationship.

Significant developments in feedback research and practice

Since 2019, feedback research and practice have evolved significantly. Two developments stand out to us as particularly impactful:

1. The ongoing boom of interest in feedback literacy

Feedback literacy research has become a fast-growing trend within research into feedback in higher education. The basis of feedback literacy is that students need a set of competencies which enable them to make the most of feedback opportunities of different kinds. And for students to develop these competencies, teachers need to design opportunities for students to generate, make sense of and use a variety of feedback inputs from peers, the self, teachers, or automated systems.

Student feedback literacy includes the ability to appreciate and judge the value of feedback inputs of different forms. This attribute remains relevant to both human and non-human feedback exchanges. Sometimes feedback inputs are off-target or inaccurate, so responsibility lies with the learner in using information prudently to move work forward. This is particularly pertinent in terms of inputs or feedback from generative AI (GenAI) to which we turn next. Judging the value and accuracy of GenAI inputs, and deciding what further probing or verifying is needed become important learning strategies.

2. Challenges and affordances of GenAI

The potential impact of technological disruption is often overestimated. However, the advent of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) has undeniably generated both excitement and anxiety. In higher education, while assessment design has been the primary concern, discussions around feedback have also intensified.

Given the escalating and unsustainable costs of teaching in higher education, AI is sometimes seen as a panacea. Providing feedback comments – a time-consuming task for academics – could be outsourced to GenAI, theoretically freeing up time for other activities such as teaching, administration, or research. However, we caution against this approach. The mere provision of feedback comments, regardless of their origin, epitomises an old paradigm practice. As argued in our book, a process-oriented approach to feedback means that comments alone do not constitute feedback; they are merely inputs into a feedback process. Feedback occurs only when students engage with and act upon these comments.

Nevertheless, AI offers potential benefits for new paradigm feedback practices. A potential benefit of GenAI feedback is that it can be provided at a time when students need it. And if GenAI can assist educators in drafting feedback comments, it could free up time for more meaningful engagement with students, such as facilitating the implementation of feedback, supporting peer dialogue, and enhancing evaluative expertise. GenAI can also help students generate feedback on their own work, thereby developing their own evaluative judgement. In short, GenAI may not be harmful to feedback processes if we hold true to the principles of new paradigm learning-focused approaches we presented in our book.

Looking ahead: future directions in feedback research and practice

What might the next five years hold for feedback research and practice? Feedback literacy is likely to remain a key research theme because without feedback literacy it is difficult for both teachers and students to derive benefits and satisfaction from feedback processes. The potential and pitfalls of GenAI as a feedback source is likely to be a heavily populated research field. Methodologically, we anticipate a shift towards more longitudinal studies and a greater focus on behavioural outcomes, acknowledging the complexity of feedback impacts. These can be investigated over long-term durations as well as short-term ones because the benefits of complex, higher-order feedback often take time to accrue. As researchers, we are privileged to be part of a dynamic international community, working within a rapidly evolving policy and practice landscape. The field abounds with questions, challenges, and opportunities for exploration. We are excited to see what developments the future holds.

Naomi Winstone is a cognitive psychologist specialising in the processing and impact of instructional feedback, and the influence of dominant discourses of assessment and feedback in policy and practice on the positioning of educators and students in feedback processes. Naomi is Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK. She is also an Honorary Professor in the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin University, Australia. Naomi is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a UK National Teaching Fellow.

David Carless works as a Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, and is Head of the Academic Unit SCAPE (Social Contexts and Policies in Education). He is one of the pioneers of feedback literacy research and is listed as a top 0.1% cited researcher in the Stanford top 2% list for social sciences. His books include Designing effective feedback processes in higher education: A learning-focused approach, by Winstone and Carless, 2019 published by Routledge. He was the winner of a University Outstanding Teaching Award in 2016. The latest details of his work are on his website: https://davidcarless.edu.hku.hk/.