Making Feedback Work Harder: Reflection Tutorials to Enhance Feedback Literacy (poster presentation)

As higher education seeks to equip students with essential skills for an evolving workforce, fostering self-regulated learning, critical thinking, and resilience is essential. The Bristol Skills Profile exemplifies this focus at the University of Bristol. A key skill is feedback literacy —students’ ability to appreciate, critically engage with, and apply feedback while remaining emotionally regulated [1]. However, many students struggle to recognise their role in this process, and barriers such as a lack of guidance, motivation, and structured opportunities hinder engagement.
Previous interventions to enhance feedback literacy include self-assessment, peer assessment, and reflective activities [2]. Our earlier research on assignment coversheets—designed to encourage self-assessment and reflection—found significant associations with their use and consequent student attainment (non-published data). However, coversheet use was inconsistent, and perceived value varied among students.

To investigate barriers to feedback reflection in PGT students within the Bristol Medical School, we collected quantitative and qualitative data using a student survey. The data highlight themes such as time-management, perceived quality of feedback, and the emotional impact of feedback as barriers to reflection. These findings suggest that some students may lack feedback literacy skills. To address this, we piloted a structured reflection tutorial using the Gibbs Reflective Framework [3], guiding students to engage critically with their feedback.

This study explores whether structured reflection:
(a) develops reflection skills and confidence in reflective practice,
(b) enhances the perceived value and utility of feedback, and
(c) strengthens feedback literacy.

Students completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to assess feedback literacy and reflection skills, alongside immediate post-tutorial evaluations. Pilot data indicate that the tutorial improved students’ understanding and critique of feedback, ability to create action plans, and confidence in reflection. Self-assessed feedback literacy and reflection skills before and after the intervention will be discussed.

I suggest that embedding structured reflection into postgraduate curricula can develop students’ critical thinking, emotional resilience, and ability to transfer learning across contexts—essential competencies for navigating complex professional environments. The use of frameworks like Gibbs is an authentic practice that can help students become lifelong learners and adaptable professionals.

1. Carless, D. and D. Boud, The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2018. 43(8): p. 1315-1325.
2. Little, T., et al., Can students’ feedback literacy be improved? A scoping review of interventions. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2024. 49(1): p. 39-52.
3. Gibbs, G., Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. 1998, Oxford Brooks University, Oxford: Further Education Unit.