Cracking the code

Project introduction and background information

Feedback perceptions are essential in order to understand how instructional feedback is received and applied. This project explores feedback perceptions amongst students and instructors of large classes within Computer Science program.

Objective and expected outcomes

To capture the students’ perspective, this project explores how students perceive instructional feedback and what do they do with it - what learning strategies are used to implement instructional feedback or to ignore it. 

To capture the instructors’ perspective, this project explores  how feedback is perceived and how those perceptions influence feedback practices that are used within computer science teaching team. 

The data was collected by using both qualitative and quantitative methods: 1. semi-structured group interviews with students and individual interviews with instructors and teaching assistants; 2. the combined questionnaire containing the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Instructional Feedback Orientation scale. 

Results and learnings

To capture the students’ perspective, this project explores how students perceive instructional feedback and what do they do with it - what learning strategies are used to implement instructional feedback or to ignore it. 

To capture the instructors’ perspective, this project explores  how feedback is perceived and how those perceptions influence feedback practices that are used within computer science teaching team. 

The data was collected by using both qualitative and quantitative methods: 1. semi-structured group interviews with students and individual interviews with instructors and teaching assistants; 2. the combined questionnaire containing the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Instructional Feedback Orientation scale. 

Practical outcomes

Practical implications of this project include: 

1. Encourage feedback on instructional feedback to make sure students recognized the feedback message provided to them, aware how to apply it and are equipped to do so efficiently. 

2. Educate students about various learning strategies and their utilities, so students know what learning strategies to use when they receive instructional feedback. 

3. Support instructors to develop and adapt such feedback practices that fit the purpose of the course and the conditions of the learning environment.