Student feedback as a pedagogical instrument in teacher education

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the quality of teaching and learning in higher education institutions due to the call for public accountability and increasingly higher expectations of university faculties in their teaching quality. One important dimension of quality assurance is student feedback in the form of 'student evaluation of teaching', obtained reactively at the end of a module, and used summativety. In this paper a new understanding of the role of student feedback is argued, a role which is constructive, educational and interactive in enhancing teaching quality and improving student learning. Two cases of using student feedback will be reported, both involving a similar experimental feedback process and a systematic use of student feedback as a form of evidence about student needs, effective teaching, learning problems and types of learning. The first finding concerns the adoption of proactive and pedagogical approaches towards student feedback in higher education institutions - an innovative stance in contrast with the traditional perception of the function of student feedback and one which promotes a dynamic and constructive interaction between teachers' input and student learning in classrooms. This is a necessary condition for deep learning. The second finding points to the need for teachers in higher education institutions to take up a more conscious and goal oriented approach in selecting teaching approaches and contents of learning in response to the evolving needs of the students through the use of feedback as a pedagogical instrument. The paper builds on the work of Gibbs and his colleagues (2002; 2003), Harvey (2001; 2003) and others on the nature of effective student feedback.