Focus On: Feedback From Assessment: What Does Student-led Teaching Award Nomination Data Tell Us About Student Perceptions of ‘Good’ Feedback? Quality Assurance Agency Scotland Research Report

The objective of this report is to enhance understanding of what students value in the feedback they receive from assessment. We have explored perceptions of ‘good’ feedback as expressed by students through Student-Led Teaching Award (SLTA) nomination data. The report draws on an analysis of recent SLTA data from ten students’ associations/students’ unions in the Scottish higher education sector. The Scottish higher education sector comprises nineteen higher education institutions (HEIs), and from students’ association websites there appear to be SLTA schemes within sixteen institutions. Ten students’ associations participated in this study by sharing their nomination data. This was provided on the basis of anonymity and not all organisations agreed to be named within this report. We have permission to acknowledge data contributed by: Abertay Students’ Association; Edinburgh University Students’ Association; Highlands and Islands Students’ Association; Robert Gordon University Students’ Association; Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland; University of St Andrews Students’ Association; University of Stirling Students’ Union and the University of Strathclyde Students’ Association. Appendix 1 indicates that of the ten organisations providing data, six had specific feedback award categories within their SLTA. A total of 4,982 nominations were received and of these an illustrative sample of 318 nominations from across the ten institutions was used to explore the weighting of different aspects of feedback. The focus in the following discussion is on the identification of the characteristics of ‘good’ feedback recognised by students in their supporting statements when nominating staff for SLTAs. Within this report, the exploration of student perceptions is purposefully considered independent of the academic literature on assessment feedback and SLTA schemes specifically