Medical students’ understanding of cost effectiveness in feedback delivery

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. IntroductionFeedback is an important influence on student achievement, yet students report it lacking in both quantity and quality and there is an unexplained mismatch between students' and staff's perceptions about the adequacy of feedback offered. Despite the financial constraints on Higher Education providers, there is little evidence about students' understanding of the costs involved in delivering educational resources. We therefore investigated students' views on feedback, focusing our analysis on feasibility and cost effectiveness.MethodsAn online questionnaire was delivered to students in the first, third and fifth (final) year of a UK undergraduate medical programme over two academic years. Students were asked to identify the 'main problem' with feedback and any positive aspects of feedback. A thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data collected.ResultsA total of 690 responses were received, representing a 38.3% response rate. A number of themes were identified, with students highlighting areas for improvement related to numerous facets of feedback delivery but often focusing on the number of opportunities for feedback. Numerous suggestions were also made. There was little acknowledgement of the resources required to improve feedback delivery and no mention of the cost implications of making such improvements.ConclusionsStudents appear unaware of the practical aspects of assessment and feedback delivery and as a result, make suggestions which are very demanding within the resource constraints of contemporary higher education. Students believe these requests are reasonable and are therefore likely to become frustrated when they are not fulfilled. Engaging students in the discourse of cost effectiveness may enable students and staff to develop a shared vision for feasible improvements to feedback.