Feedback on feedback practice: perceptions of students and academics
Open accessAbstract
While feedback is widely considered central to student learning, students across the higher education sector commonly report dissatisfaction with the feedback they receive. In contrast, academics often feel they provide quality and informative feedback. This article explores and compares the perceptions of students and academics with regard to feedback practice. The paper presents the results of questionnaire surveys conducted with academics and students at the School of the Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University. It highlights the perceptions of academics and students with regard to preferences for different types of feedback, timeliness of feedback, students’ engagement and interest in feedback, quality feedback and satisfaction with current practice. The findings indicate a significant discord between staff and students in relation to certain aspects of feedback practice, namely opinions on students’ engagement and interest in feedback, satisfaction with current practice and feedback preference. Similarities in viewpoints were also found in relation to quality feedback.
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Understanding students' perceptions is of particular significance, as these perceptions shape not only students' engagement with feedback but also the extent to which they interpret and act upon it, ultimately influencing their overall satisfaction with the learning process.
“In addition, understanding students' perceptions is of particular significance, as these perceptions, as conceptualised by Nazaretsky et al. (2024), encompassing objectivity, usefulness, genuineness, and credibility of the provider, shape not only students' engagement with feedback but also the extent to which they interpret and act upon it, ultimately influencing their overall satisfaction with”
From Supporting self-regulated learning through generative AI feedback in online higher education: the importance of student perceptions of the source of feedback (2026) · cites this paper as Mulliner & Tucker, 2017
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“…encompassing objectivity, usefulness, genuineness, and credibility of the provider, shape not only students’ engagement with feedback but also the extent to which they interpret and act upon it, ultimately influencing their overall satisfaction with the learning process (Mulliner & Tucker, 2017).”
- Authors
- Mulliner, E., & Tucker, M.
- Affiliations
- Liverpool John Moores University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Mulliner, Emma
- Venue
- Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2015-10-24
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 266-288
- ISSN
- 0260-2938 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-297X
- OpenAlex
- W2164668300
- Cited by
- 261
- References
- 76
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 44.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education (publishedVersion)
- Liverpool John Moores University (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Student Assessment and Feedback
- Social Sciences › Education › Evaluation of Teaching Practices
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Practises and Engagement
- Keywords
- feedback practices, student perceptions, academic perceptions, student engagement, quality feedback, student satisfaction, feedback preferences, higher education assessment, built environment education
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