The influence of feedback on learning

‘Knowing what you know and don’t know focuses learning. Students need appropriate feedback on performance to benefit from courses. In getting started, students need help in assessing existing knowledge and competence. In classes, students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions for improvement. At various points during college, and at the end, students need chances to reflect on what they have learnt, what they still have to learn, and how to assess themselves.’(Chickering & Gamson, 1987)
 
Y1 Nursing students appear to be aware of the need to follow certain conventions to write academic essays successfully but are unaware of what they are. Begin with language, style, format, referencing, understnading the questions etc. wikis allow the frequent opportunities that students need to perform and receive suggestions for improvement. Between sessions they have the chance to reflect on what they have learnt and what they still need to learn
Conventionally, feedback is conceptualized as an issue of ‘correction of errors’ (Bruner, 1974) or ‘knowledge of results’ in relation to learning itself; if a student is informed that she is accurate then she will learn. In this article we are concerned with how the provision of feedback affects student learning behaviour — with how feedback results in students taking action that involves, or does not involve, further learning.

BRUNER, J.S. (1974) Toward a Theory of Instruction, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
CHICKERING, A.W. & GAMSON, Z.F. (1987) Seven Principles to Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, Racine, Wi.: The Johnson Foundation Inc.