What do history students need from feedback?
By Student Voice Analytics
feedbackhistoryHistory students need feedback that is timely, specific, referenced to criteria and consistent across markers, with actionable feed-forward between assessments. Across the National Student Survey (NSS), the feedback category trends negative, with 57.3% of comments classified as negative and a sentiment index of −10.2, so the basics matter most. Within history, which uses the Common Aggregation Hierarchy classification adopted across the sector, students discuss feedback frequently and rate it slightly less negatively than the sector (index −11.0), but uncertainty around marking criteria is the sharpest pain point (index −46.8). Approaches common in part-time provision show promise, with sentiment net positive at +6.7, and are worth adapting for large full-time cohorts.
What do history students need from exam and essay feedback?
In history studies, effective feedback on written assessments refines understanding and strengthens analytical skills. Prioritise timeliness and usefulness: publish a feedback service level agreement by assessment type and track on-time rates. Require structured feed-forward, align comments to marking criteria, and use concise rubrics with annotated exemplars to reduce ambiguity. Consistency across markers limits confusion, so run light-touch calibration on shared samples and add spot checks on specificity, actionability and alignment to the assessment brief. Different modes of delivery - written, verbal, one-to-one or online - shape how students use feedback, so we design delivery to fit the task and cohort.
Introducing text analysis tools supports staff to provide more detailed and accurate feedback. Using such analytics, educators can pinpoint recurrent issues and provide richer guidance on writing and critical thinking. This makes feedback more tailored and usable for each student.
How does feedback shape the learning experience?
Constructive feedback raises motivation and engagement, particularly when it highlights what to do next in manageable steps. For history students working independently on complex topics, targeted comments on sourcing, argument construction and use of evidence strengthen the quality of analysis. Staff should attend to how students think, not just what they have written, and prioritise feed-forward that students can enact in the next task.
How should student support and communication underpin feedback?
Effective communication links content, expectations and support. Personal tutors, advisors and student representatives ensure feedback processes are transparent and responsive. We use short module-level guides on how to use feedback, pulse surveys to monitor reach and impact, and visible you said to we did updates that show changes to formats and turnaround. Keeping these channels open helps students feel supported throughout their programme.
How should marking and assessment criteria guide feedback?
Students need to see how their work maps to criteria. Provide annotated exemplars, checklist-style rubrics and plain-English marking criteria, and reference these directly in feedback. Consistent and fair criteria enable comparison of performance across a cohort. Involving students in defining what helpful feedback looks like improves alignment and helps reduce uncertainty about expectations.
How can course design make feedback work harder?
Course structure influences how feedback is integrated and used. Build in iterative tasks, staged submissions and low-stakes assessments to create regular feedback points that are timely and relevant. Provide flexibility in module choices and interdisciplinary options where appropriate, and align each activity tightly to learning outcomes so feedback is immediately applicable. Adapt practices that work well in mature and part-time provision, such as dialogic feedback sessions and checklists, into high-volume full-time modules.
How does feedback build skills and employability?
Feedback bridges academic learning and transferable skills. When comments target both subject understanding and the application of critical thinking, analysis and communication, students see how to translate their practice to workplace contexts. Short, skills-focused action points within feedback accelerate progress and support career readiness.
How can feedback support internationalisation and global citizenship?
Feedback that engages with diverse perspectives helps students situate arguments in global contexts. When discussing international conflicts, treaties or transnational histories, asking students to compare interpretive frames deepens analysis and supports their development as global citizens. Surveys and module review discussions then inform adjustments to this approach.
What should history departments change next?
Reset the basics around timeliness and usefulness, make feed-forward routine, and calibrate feedback against shared exemplars. Lift practices from provision that performs well, and visibly close the loop on what changes as a result of student voice. These steps strengthen the academic core while addressing the assessment pain points that history students raise most often.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics turns open-text feedback into trackable metrics for history. It segments sentiment by age, mode, disability, domicile and subject, and enables drill-down from institution to school, department and programme. You can compare like for like across CAH areas, prioritise where tone is weakest, export concise summaries for module teams and show progress through simple, shareable updates.
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