What is it?

A popular method to give feedback to students across disciplines is the Sandwich Method. This means that the lecturer starts off by offering positive feedback on what the student did well; then provides constructive criticism on what the student didn’t do so well; and ends on a positive note by giving the student suggestions for future work. By pointing out what students do well and not so well, the lecturer helps them to identify their strengths and weaknesses, which they can then build on for their next assignment. And by starting and ending on a positive note, the lecturer helps students feel more confident about their work, which might eventually translate into them engaging more with the course in general. Many students interviewed as part of this project said that this form of feedback was extremely useful and not demoralising, which was seen as very important.

How can students make the most of it?

If students are not satisfied with the feedback that they are receiving, they should be encouraged to speak to their lecturer and recommend that they use the sandwich method in future. Students must also keep track of any feedback they receive, including negative and positive comments, so they can identify their strengths and weaknesses and build on it in future work, whether it is in the same module or another one. Keeping a written record of any feedback received is important, since many of the skills acquired in one module can often be directly transferred to other modules.