Feedback on individual academic presentations: exploring Finnish university students’ experiences and preferences

With an increasing emphasis on measuring the outcomes of learning in higher education, assessment is gaining an ever more prominent role in curriculum design and development as well as in instructional practices. In formative assessment, feedback is regarded as a powerful pedagogical tool driving student engagement and deep learning. The efficacy of feedback, however, depends on a multitude of factors. From a learning cultures perspective (James 2014), assessment strives for an appropriate balance between structural constraints and individual agency. To have a better grasp of how feedback functions in practice, it is useful to investigate students’ views and preferences as well as the immediate and wider contexts shaping these constructs. The small-scale research reported in this article explores Finnish university students’ prior experiences and initial preconceptions regarding feedback on individual academic presentations with a view to enhancing feedback practices.