This Outstanding Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (OTLA 3) project in 2017/18 sought to prompt adult GCSE and Access students to make more effective use of feedback from teachers.  Since learners enrol at college with a variety of academic starting points, the project team hoped this would help them set meaningful stretch targets for learners and enable learners to set their own short-term goals and take greater control of their learning. Staff experimented with redesigning feedback paperwork and evaluating the uses of templates in different contexts (as homework or as classwork with tutorial support available). The project involved merging partners, South Tyneside College and Tyne Metropolitan College (now Tyne Coast College). Tyne Met staff worked with a group of Access Pathways to Higher Education learners. At South Tyneside College the project focused on creating or amending feedback sheets so that adult learners were prompted to reflect and the act on feedback from teachers. Initially, they focused on maths and English, but as the potential became apparent, they applied it across the whole college. Staff then experimented further using feed-forward forms in class with the tutor available as a resource. All students’ assignment work improved in this small-scale experiment.

Technical accessibility note: The ETF has edited and reformatted this case study and final report for accessibility with screen readers. Unfortunately, tables and sample feedback forms in the final report are as supplied to the ETF and are not fully accessible.