Monica Fernandes Academic Skills Advisor

Working with Feedback in Politics

Why and how

Feedback creates a dialogue with commentary

– Highlight strengths and weaknesses

– As well as ways to improve your work

– Help you further develop your critical thinking skills

– Helps you to improve your academic writing

Feedback will help you with…

Reviewing your work will help you to improve your second coursework essay

Your understanding of your subject/ topic will improve. (this will improve both knowledge and confidence)

Improvement with transferable skills

Increase your mark.

Where can you get feedback from?

• Essay coversheet • Personal tutor (encourage to see at least once a

term) • General discussions in class • One-to one discussions (office hours or

consultation times) with your lecturers or myself • It could be as a

– Criticism – Question or – Idea for future consideration

How to handle feedback?

1. Get your essay and have quick look at general comments and your marks

2. Put aside until you can see it more objectively

3. Look over the essay in more detail (between 20-30 minutes)

4. Re-read general comments and take note of the main points

5. Re-read the essay taking into account what your lecturer has said/ comments made. Is there anything you don’t understand?

After every essay, write down 1 or 2 points you want to improve and improve that aspect in your next assignment.

Your biggest mistake...

• Is to focus only on your grade.

• If you don’t use your lecturer’s feedback, you’re losing about 50% of the value of doing the essay.

Quick think….

• Write down 2 comments you received from a marked assignment last term…

• How would you take that feedback and improve your work?

The marking categories in Politics and History…

1. Information and knowledge

2. Understanding the topic

3. Reading the literature beyond the lecture

4. Independent thinking

5. Addressing the question

6. Presentation and style

Remember

• Lecturers are here to help

• Feedback isn’t personal criticism

• Feedback is the key to academic development and excellence

If you want further assistance with feedback

• Contact: monica.fernandes@brunel.ac.uk

• Or see me during my consultation times (every week) at MJ 243 on:

– Monday 11:00-12:00 or

– Wednesday 14:00-15:00