by Professor David Carless & Dr Timothy Hew Khe-Foon

Date: Feb 12, Thursday, 2015

Time: 12:30 – 2:00 pm

Venue: Room 205, 2/F, Runme Shaw Building

Speakers: Prof. David Carless & Dr. Timothy Hew Khe-Foon

(Discussant: Prof. Dai Hounsell; Chair: Dr. Jingyan Lu) 

Talk 1: Promoting student engagement with feedback (by Professor David Carless) 

Feedback is centrally important to student learning but difficult to carry out effectively. From the student perspective, challenges are manifold and include: comprehensibility of feedback; timeliness of feedback; and difficulties using feedback. A possible way forward is to view feedback processes as being dialogic in nature. Dialogic feedback involves iterative processes in which interpretations are shared, meanings clarified and uptake promoted. Some strategies and challenges in developing dialogic feedback processes are discussed, including possibilities for technology-enhanced feedback. I conclude with an aspiration for sustainable feedback in which peer learning and the development of student self-regulation are central pillars.

About the speaker  

David Carless is Professor of Educational Assessment in the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong. His main research interest is learning-oriented assessment. He has published a number of articles and a co-edited book on feedback in higher education. His next book entitled Excellence in University Assessment: Learning from award-winning practice will be published by Routledge in April.

Talk 2: Promoting peer feedback in computer-mediated discussion environments: Understanding the critical factors (by Dr. Timothy Khe-Foon Hew)

Peer feedback plays an important role in student learning because it provides the opportunity for participants to consider and evaluate alternative perspectives. The use of computer-mediated technologies allows students to give feedback and interact with one another without the constraints of time and place. One of the most commonly used discussions is the online forum. However, many previous studies have lamented the scarcity of peer feedback in online forums. In this presentation, I synthesize my work over the last decade or so which examines peer feedback in online forums. I specifically discuss the critical factors that could promote the following three outcomes: (a) frequency of student contribution, (b) sustainability of peer discussion, and (c) higher-levels of knowledge construction.

About the speaker 

Timothy Khe-Foon Hew is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at HKU. His research interests include e-learning and blended learning strategies; and computer-supported interactions. He has won research grants amounting over HK$3.8 million as a principal or co-principal investigator. His two latest books are: Student Participation in Online Discussions: Challenges, Solutions, and Future Research (2012), and Using Blended Learning: Evidence-based Practices (2014). Both books are published by Springer.