2. Exam Feedback
All students should know they can request feedback on exams – and receive it in a timely manner.
All students have the right to request information as to why they received a particular mark in an exam, and receive feedback to help them improve their work in future. The University should work to ensure both staff and students are aware that this is an option.
GET INVOLVED! GET INVOLVED! GET INVOLVED! GET INVOLVED! GET INVOLVED!
The Students' Union is focussing on this area of the Manifesto in the New Year, and we need as many students as possible to get involved. It's very simple - all you need to do is ask for feedback on your current exams. You can do this before the exam or afterwards once you have received your mark.
Once you've asked, please fill in the following brief pro-forma to let us know what happened!
Your Faculty (please select)*:
Your Course*:
Details of Exam (optional - this could include the module title, date of exam, length of exam, weight of the exam mark etc.)
Was feedback on the exam provided when you asked (this includes any kind of feedback, either verbally or in writing, that gave you information about what you did well and where you could have improved)*?
YES
NO
If YES, please give us as many details as possible about what you asked for, what response you got and how you received the feedback:
If NO, please give us as many details as possible about how you asked for feedback, what kind of response you got and what reasons were given for not providing you with feedback:
Need more information?
What does Exam Feedback mean?
All students should be able to get feedback on their exams to help them understand what they are doing right and what they need to improve, in the same way they get feedback on other assignments. The University agrees - on paper - but we know that hardly any students actually receive detailed feedback on their exams. We want to make sure all students and all staff know that feedback on exams should be provided when requested, and that students who want feedback receive it in a timely manner.
Why do we want this?
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‘We only recieve a grade but no reason for why we achieved that grade’ Student Comment, Union Survey
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‘I think this would really help people improve exam technique for future exams and to work out where they go wrong in exams.’ Student Comment, Union Survey
For some courses, exams make up a big part of the final mark awarded. Yet students only receive a mark out of 100 for each exam, without any comments to help them understand why they got the mark they did. How can students be expected to know what they need to do to get a better mark in the next exam if they aren't given any feedback on what they need to improve? We think feedback on exams will help all students who have to take exams to be more confident and understand better how they can succeed on their course.
What does the University say?
The University is reviewing the guidance that it gives to course teams relating to exam feedback. However, they have previously assured us that all students can get feedback on exams if they ask for it. That is why we want to put this to the test!
What do you think?
We want to hear your views and experiences. Tell us what you think about exam feedback.