Investigating assessment feedback in medical education: Meet CRADLE Fellow Bryony McNeill

27 June 2018

Dr Bryony McNeill is Deputy Course Director of the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery and a researcher in Deakin University’s School of Medicine. Awarded a CRADLE Fellowship in 2017, here she discusses how she formed an interest in researching assessment feedback, and her experiences so far as a CRADLE Fellow.

What are you planning to research during your CRADLE Fellowship?

The focus of my CRADLE Fellowship is feedback from assessment. Specifically, my research investigates how students respond to feedback, and how they utilise this feedback when preparing for their subsequent assessment tasks. As part of this research, I’m examining how factors such as academic performance influence the feedback process. The study will be conducted within Deakin’s School of Medicine, and will involve the collection of interview data from medical students to gain new perspectives on their experiences of feedback not previously considered.

This research is important because, while there is a strong evidence base supporting a positive correlation between informative and effective feedback processes and student learning, practices vary widely both within and across Medical Education providers. Moreover, feedback practices are often criticised in university student satisfaction surveys. Improving our understanding of how students experience and utilise feedback will contribute to the development of guidelines for best practice in this area.

How does your research link with CRADLE’s research objectives?

My research is closely aligned with CRADLE’s assessment and learning and assessment design research streams. Through their research, and involvement in the Feedback for Learning: Closing the Assessment Loop project, the CRADLE research team are recognised for their significant contribution to feedback research. In particular, their research has played a key role in the shift in understanding around feedback – from being primarily based around providing information on student performance, to being a tool which directly promotes improvements in subsequent learning.

Why did you decide to apply for a Fellowship?

In my role within the School of Medicine, I spend a lot of time working on assessment and feedback – not only as an educator in the units that I teach, but also in developing our School policies around feedback. Through this aspect of my work, I developed an interest in this specific area, and I began to experience firsthand some of the challenges around developing effective feedback processes to support student learning, particularly for students who are achieving poor academic performance. As such, I saw the need to progress this important area of research, and in so doing, contribute peer-reviewed data to the conversation.

The wealth of expertise within the CRADLE team and supportive research mentoring program makes it the ideal environment for my research.  The award of my CRADLE Fellowship has provided me with an opportunity to work with experts in the field, develop new research skills, and participate in CRADLE career development opportunities such as seminars, workshops, conferences and collaborative events.

Follow Bryony on Twitter: @Bryony_McNeill

Find out more about CRADLE Fellowships here.