Characteristics of effective feedback in PBL: an exploratory study

Abstract

Providing feedback to students is an integral part of any pedagogy. It even becomes substantial in a student-centred self-directed pedagogy, such as project-based learning (PBL). A PBL facilitator is required to closely monitor students throughout their learning journey to maximise their learning, ensure they are always on the right track, and hence successfully achieve the stated course’s objectives. Feedback on the other hand can have various forms, such as synchronous, asynchronous, verbal, written, etc, and must suit the students’ learning styles, perceptions and needs. This article investigates and compares the correlation between students’ perceived learning and different feedback channels used in a PBL course through analysing validated results of a quantitative survey. It proves that ungraded feedback is essential to maximise students’ learning in PBL environments, and explores other possible characteristics of effective feedback, such as the feedback frequency and the characteristics of the feedback communication channel.