An online discussion between students and teachers: a way forward for meaningful teacher feedback?

Upward Feedback: Exploring Learner Perspectives on Giving Feedback to their Teachers

Introduction

Feedback from learners is known to be an important motivator for medical teachers, but it can be de-motivating if delivered poorly, leaving teachers frustrated and uncertain. Research has identified challenges learners face in providing upward feedback, but has not explored how challenges influence learners' goals and approaches to giving feedback. This study explored learner perspectives on providing feedback to teachers to advance understanding of how to optimize upward feedback quality.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 learners from the MD program at the University of British Columbia. Applying an interpretive description methodology, interviews continued until data sufficiency was achieved. Iterative analysis accounted for general trends across seniority, site of training, age and gender as well as individual variations.

Findings

Learners articulated well-intentioned goals in relation to upward feedback (e.g., to encourage effective teaching practices). However, conflicting priorities such as protecting one's image created tensions leading to feedback that was discordant with teaching quality. Several factors, including the number of feedback requests learners face and whether learners think their feedback is meaningful mediated the extent to which upward feedback goals or competing goals were enacted.

Discussion

Our findings offer a nuanced understanding of the complexities that influence learners' approaches to upward feedback when challenges arise. In particular, goal conflicts make it difficult for learners to contribute to teacher support through upward feedback. Efforts to encourage the quality of upward feedback should begin with reducing competition between goals by addressing factors that mediate goal prioritization.

E- Learning experience of the medical profession's college students during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, most of educational institutions have moved to online electronic learning methods because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 8, 2020, the Saudi Ministry of Education announced remote learning for public and private schools and universities as a preventive and precautionary measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The objective of this study was to explore the e-learning experience of the students of the colleges of health sciences with regard to the technical preparedness, academic achievements, e-learning advantages and limitations. A well-structured and validated questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale and open-ended questions about their e-learning experience was distributed to a heterogeneous purposive sample of the health sciences students in Saudi Arabian universities.

RESULTS

Of the 1288 respondents, of various demographical features a relatively higher proportion of 58.2 % agreed that they had enough information about the online learning. However, the proportion who reported receiving adequate guidance, technical support, and having satisfactory hardware and internet access to online learning were 48.1 %, 42, and 35.4 %, respectively. Of all participants, 40.8 % agreed that they had gained a good understanding of their courses learning outcomes. Only 30.0 % agreed that the quality of the online teaching was similar to traditional classes and 56.1 % agreed that the online learning is unsuitable for the medical sciences studies. E-learning advantages mentioned were the flexible accessibility of the learning materials, time, effort, and money saving, acquiring and improving technical and self-learning skills, health safety, interaction without shyness, and better academic accomplishment. On the other hand, disadvantages and difficulties included inadequate tools to facilitate online learning, poor internet connection, lack of technological skills by the educators and students. In addition, there was inadequate or lack of practical classes, lack of a unified clear policy for the conduct of online classes and exams and grade distribution, limited online exam time.

CONCLUSIONS

The sudden shift to e-learning without prior preparedness has revealed some pitfalls that need to be adjusted. The initial findings were considered satisfactory for such a new experience for both learners and students. However, there is a great chance for improving and expanding the e-learning process.