Key findings show a clear disconnect between perception and effectiveness: students rated teacher feedback as most valuable, but peer feedback produced the greatest improvement in essay quality. Additionally, students’ ability to benefit from feedback depended significantly on their feedback literacy (their ability to understand and use feedback), while their initial preferences or assumptions about feedback types had no effect on learning outcomes.

Key Takeaways for Faculty

1. Don’t let student preference dictate feedback design. Students consistently favor teacher feedback, but this study found peer feedback produced the only statistically significant improvement. Faculty should feel confident integrating peer assessment even when students express resistance to it.
2. Teach feedback literacy explicitly. Since feedback literacy mediated learning gains, faculty should build in scaffolded activities that help students learn how to read, interpret, and act on feedback — not just receive it. This could include reflection prompts, revision protocols, or structured rubric training.
3. Use structured tools to support peer feedback quality. This study used a detailed rubric with descriptors for each performance level, which helped peers provide more consistent and actionable feedback. Clear structures reduce student anxiety about peer assessment and improve its reliability.
4. Combine feedback modes strategically. The authors recommend using teacher, peer, and self-feedback together in a dialogic, iterative way rather than treating them as competing options. Each mode offers distinct cognitive benefits — peer feedback in particular encourages deeper engagement with the content.
5. Use exemplars to support self-assessment. Providing high-quality model essays as anchors for self-assessment helped students engage in meaningful self-reflection. This is a low-cost, scalable strategy that also builds evaluative judgment over time.
6. Measure actual learning, not just student satisfaction. Faculty and program assessors should track measurable improvements in student work rather than relying on course evaluations or student satisfaction surveys to gauge feedback effectiveness.

Read the full article here:

Heil, J., & Ifenthaler, D. (2026). Effects of teacher, peer and self-feedback on student improvement in online assessment: The role of individuals’ presumptions and feedback literacy. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 51(2), 281–300. 

Want more tips on feedback? Check out the recording and resources for our Lunch & Learn 

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools instructors have to support student learning—but only when students actually use it. Research shows that feedback is most effective when it is timely, actionable, and connected to future work, helping students understand not just what went wrong but what to do next.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore practical, evidence-based strategies for designing feedback that promotes learning, motivation, and engagement in in-person, online, and competency-based courses.

Participants will:

• Learn key principles of effective feedback
• Explore strategies that promote student engagement
• Review examples of feedback across different types of assignments
• Identify one simple change they can implement immediately in their own teaching

Join us for a session focused on practical ideas you can use right away to make feedback more meaningful—and more likely to stick.

 including slides and sample assignments with feedback.

Compared with previous cohorts using traditional feedback, students using flipped feedback showed significant improvements between draft and final submissions and higher overall marks. Most students also reported that the approach helped them better understand assessment criteria and apply feedback to improve their work.

Key Takeaways

• Provide feedback earlier: Give guidance before final submission so students can revise their work.
• Use drafts and revision: Iterative submissions support improvement and deeper learning.
• Promote self-assessment: Having students evaluate their work against rubrics builds evaluative judgement.
• Offer targeted feedback: Let students request specific feedback areas to increase relevance and efficiency.
• Provide clear guidance: Strong rubrics and examples help students assess their work accurately.

Read the full article here:

Francis, N., Coates, K., Bodger, O., & Winstone, N. (2026). Flipped Feedback: Engaging Students With the Feedback Process to Enhance Evaluative Judgement. Active Learning in Higher Education, 0(0). 

For more on feedback strategies, join us for our Faculty Lunch & Learn

The screenshots below show where you can add specific feedback related to a rubric criterion as well as text based feedback for a whole assignment. You can also easily record audio or video-based feedback from within Brightspace.

The process involves reaching out to CTL, setting up a time with us to plan the feedback prompts, select a time or space in your physical or digital class to facilitate a discussion with your students in your absence, and a scheduled debrief conversation to share our synthesis of the conversations.

This highly effective intervention can help you to make small or large adjustments midway through the semester to improve the learning experience for both you and your students. Reach out to CTL for more information or to get started: umpi-ctl@maine.edu.