Feedback needs to relate to the work the student submitted/presented, highlighting how to improve it, as well as continue doing things that are good. It is essential, therefore, that feedback should be clearly aligned with the marking criteria for the assessment / assignment.
Therefore, there needs to be clear constructive alignment of the feedback with the marking criteria and learning outcomes.
The process of constructive alignment and also the EAT Theory Guide shows the importance of coordinating between the aims/learning outcomes of the module/course, the learning activities themselves, and the assessment of these.
The assessment is testing achievement of the course learning objectives, therefore the feedback needs to relate to this interaction.
Feedback is an essential link point in the cyclical process of: Learning Outcomes – Learning Activities – Assessment to identify where learning outcomes have or have not been achieved.
The feedback should fill the gap between the level of achievement of the learning outcomes shown by the assessment, and feed-forward to the required standard of the learning outcomes as they are set.
Examine this figure, which shows the relationship of feedback to the constructive alignment process.
Click image to enlarge
Feedback is not just a consideration in the relationship of the assessment and the learning outcomes (the brown box in the figure), but it also needs to be considered in the earlier stages (see the purple and cyan boxes).