This study examines how teacher, peer, and self-feedback influence student learning in an online assessment context. Using a quasi-experimental design with university students, the authors compared how students perceive different feedback types versus how those feedback types actually impact writing improvement.
Key findings show a clear disconnect between perception and effectiveness: students rated teacher feedback as most valuable, but peer feedback produced the greatest improvement in essay quality. Additionally, students’ ability to benefit from feedback depended significantly on their feedback literacy (their ability to understand and use feedback), while their initial preferences or assumptions about feedback types had no effect on learning outcomes.
Key Takeaways for Faculty
- Don’t let student preference dictate feedback design. Students consistently favor teacher feedback, but this study found peer feedback produced the only statistically significant improvement. Faculty should feel confident integrating peer assessment even when students express resistance to it.
- Teach feedback literacy explicitly. Since feedback literacy mediated learning gains, faculty should build in scaffolded activities that help students learn how to read, interpret, and act on feedback — not just receive it. This could include reflection prompts, revision protocols, or structured rubric training.
- Use structured tools to support peer feedback quality. This study used a detailed rubric with descriptors for each performance level, which helped peers provide more consistent and actionable feedback. Clear structures reduce student anxiety about peer assessment and improve its reliability.
- Combine feedback modes strategically. The authors recommend using teacher, peer, and self-feedback together in a dialogic, iterative way rather than treating them as competing options. Each mode offers distinct cognitive benefits — peer feedback in particular encourages deeper engagement with the content.
- Use exemplars to support self-assessment. Providing high-quality model essays as anchors for self-assessment helped students engage in meaningful self-reflection. This is a low-cost, scalable strategy that also builds evaluative judgment over time.
- Measure actual learning, not just student satisfaction. Faculty and program assessors should track measurable improvements in student work rather than relying on course evaluations or student satisfaction surveys to gauge feedback effectiveness.
Read the full article here:
Heil, J., & Ifenthaler, D. (2026). Effects of teacher, peer and self-feedback on student improvement in online assessment: The role of individuals’ presumptions and feedback literacy. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 51(2), 281–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2530452
Want more tips on feedback? Check out the recording and resources for our Lunch & Learn Feedback that Sticks: Evidence Across Modalities & Disciplines