Feeding-Forward

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Feedback only improves learning when students know what to do next, a core issue in student voice in assessment and feedback. Structured reflection helps students turn comments on an assignment into a plan for stronger work, clearer self-awareness and long-term development.

Reflection is fundamental to development in higher and further education, yet it is shaped by the conditions in which feedback is produced, shared and received [1, 2]. It helps students identify strengths and weaknesses while learning how to question and assess their own work critically [3]. When students turn that reflection into explicit plans, they create a clearer direction for deep, active learning [4, 5]. For that reason, reflection works best as an ongoing practice rather than a one-off response to a mark.

Quinton and Smallbond of the University of Oxford recognised this and looked for a way to embed reflection more effectively into undergraduate teaching [6]. Reflection and feedback work together, with feedback providing the material that reflection acts on. To unlock that value, feedback needs to be accurate, timely, comprehensive and appropriate. It also needs coaching value, helping students understand not just what happened, but how to improve next time.

Despite its recognised value, reflection is often squeezed out of higher and further education. Larger classes, packed timetables, part-time work and modular degree structures can all turn feedback into something students glance at briefly, rather than use. If institutions want feedback to shape future performance, they need to make time for reflection within the learning process itself.

Quinton and Smallbond addressed this by giving students reflection sheets alongside assignment feedback and asking them to complete the sheets during class time. Students received two pages of carbon-imprinted paper with three questions, each designed to prompt a different type of response:

• "What do I feel about this feedback?" focuses on the student's first emotional reaction. It gives students space to acknowledge frustration, relief or pride, and helps them separate that immediate response from later analysis.
• "What do I think about this feedback?" focuses on the student's analytical response. It encourages a more measured evaluation of the grade, the comments and the usefulness of the feedback itself.
• "Based on this feedback, what actions could I take to improve my work for another assignment?" turns reflection into defined next steps, so students can apply what they have learned to future work.

Printing the reflection sheets on two pages of carbon-imprinted paper meant students could keep a copy for their own records. Over time, those sheets could be aggregated across modules into a Personal Development Plan, giving students a practical way to track recurring strengths, weaknesses and priorities. This also means feedback should include some broader guidance, not just comments tied to a single assignment, so students can recognise patterns in core, transferable skills, much like staff-student partnerships in assessment aim to build assessment literacy.

The authors found that the general responses to each question were:

• "What do I feel about this feedback?" prompted responses such as "gutted", "relieved" and "happy".
• "What do I think about this feedback?" prompted responses such as "fair", "constructive" and "useful".
• "What actions could I take to improve my work for another assignment?" prompted responses such as "provide more evidence" and "better explanation of ideas".

These answers matter because they show a clear progression from emotion to judgement to action. When students are prompted in this order, feedback becomes easier to process and more likely to influence future work.

Recommended actions

Based on the work of Quinton and Smallbond, it is recommended that:

• Students are given time for self-reflection during class hours, while feedback is still fresh and actionable.
• Self-reflection sheets are issued with assignment feedback, using questions that prompt emotional, analytical and actionable responses.
• Feedback, and the reflection time that follows it, is provided before the final examination so students can act on the advice and see the results.
• Feedback includes both assignment-specific comments and broader guidance, so students can improve transferable skills across different tasks.
• Feedback and reflection are treated as a continuous process across all years, with a clear structure that helps students collect, compare and apply what they learn.

In short, feeding forward works because it turns feedback from an endpoint into an input for the next piece of work. When students can record, revisit and compare their reflections, feedback becomes part of an ongoing learning system rather than a one-time event.

FAQ

Q: How do educators measure the effectiveness of reflection and feedback in improving students' learning outcomes?

A: Educators can judge effectiveness by looking for changes in grades, assignment quality and the way students respond to later tasks. Surveys, interviews and open-text feedback can also show whether students found the reflection process useful and whether it helped them understand how to improve. Engagement in class, the quality of follow-up questions and evidence that students apply earlier advice are all useful signals that feedback is being turned into learning.

Q: What are the specific challenges educators face in integrating reflection into packed curricula, and how can these be overcome?

A: The main challenges are limited classroom time, pressure to cover content and the difficulty of giving reflection a clear place within the module. These barriers can be reduced by building reflection into existing teaching activity, for example through short in-class prompts, structured feedback sheets or peer review feedback activities that let students act before final submission. The key is to make reflection part of the learning design, not an optional extra added at the end.

Q: How do students perceive the value of reflection in their academic and personal development journey, beyond the initial responses to feedback?

A: Students often value reflection more once they can see a direct link between earlier feedback and improved performance. What may begin as an extra task can become a useful habit when students notice clearer progress, stronger self-awareness and more confidence in approaching future assignments. That shift is more likely when reflection is supported consistently and when students can see that their feedback is being heard and used.

References

[1] Fairclough, N., Critical discourse analysis : the critical study of language. Language in social life series. 1995: Longman.
ISBN 13: 978-1-4058-5822-9

[2] Lea, M.R. and B.V. Street, Student writing in higher education: An academic literacies approach. Studies in higher education (Dorchester-on-Thames), 1998. 23(2): p. 157--172.
DOI: 10.1080/03075079812331380364

[3] Moon, J.A., Learning journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development. 2006: Kogan Page.
DOI: 10.1108/et.2000.00442fad.001

[4] Smith, R.A. and S. Pilling, Allied health graduate program - supporting the transition from student to professional in an interdisciplinary program. Journal of interprofessional care, 2007. 21(3): p. 265--276.
DOI: 10.1080/13561820701259116

[5] Marton, F., Dai. Hounsell, and Noel James, The experience of learning. 2nd . ed. 1997: Scottish Academic Press.
Available at: University of Edinburgh

[6] Quinton, S. and T. Smallbone, Feeding forward: using feedback to promote student reflection and learning - a teaching model. Innovations in education and teaching international, 2010. 47(1): p. 125--135.
DOI: 10.1080/14703290903525911

Request a walkthrough

Book a free Student Voice Analytics demo

See all-comment coverage, sector benchmarks, and reporting designed for OfS quality and NSS requirements.

• All-comment coverage with HE-tuned taxonomy and sentiment.
• Versioned outputs with TEF-ready reporting.
• Benchmarks and BI-ready exports for boards and Senate.

Book a free demo Prefer email? info@studentvoice.ai

UK-hosted · No public LLM APIs · Same-day turnaround

Related Entries

• Feedback and Feedforward in UK Higher Education
• Rethinking models of feedback for learning - the challenge of design
• Staff-student partnerships to enhance assessment literacy
• Enhancing Feedback in Higher Education