Reflection Types and Students’ Viewing of Feedback in a First-Year Engineering Course Using Standards-Based Grading

Authors

Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Laura M. Cruz Castro, Purdue UniversityFollow

ORCID IDs

Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

Laura M. Cruz Castro

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

4-2022

Citation

Journal of Engineering Education 111:2 (April 2022), pp. 283–307.

doi: 10.1002/jee.20452

Comments

Copyright © 2022 American Society for Engineering Education. Published by Wiley. Used by permission.

Abstract

Background: Feedback is one of the most powerful and essential tools for learning and assessment, particularly when it provides the information necessary to close an existing gap between actual and reference levels of performance. The literature on feedback has primarily focused on addressing strategies for providing effective feedback rather than aspects of students’ readiness to engage with feedback. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study investigated whether reflection, as a routine pedagogical intervention grounded in self-regulated learning theory, promotes the frequency with which students view feedback. Design/Method: A quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the relationship between the use of four different reflection types, as well as no reflection, and students’ feedback viewing behaviors in a first-year engineering course that used standards-based grading. Clickstream data were gathered through the learning management system to count the number of times students viewed feedback. The number of feedback views was compared by reflection type using descriptive statistics and a generalized linear model; weekly feedback viewing patterns were examined using time-descriptive graphs and the time-series cluster analysis. Results: Findings suggest reflection has the potential to increase the frequency of feedback views. Reflection not only had a positive and significant effect on the number of times students viewed feedback but also resulted in less variability between course sections and instructors when structured reflections made explicit references to feedback. Conclusions: Students need feedback to learn effectively, but many do not view feedback without formal prompting. The authors recommend instructors consistently administer reflections that include explicit pointers to feedback throughout the semester.