Write IT Right: Developing Academic Writing within the Discipline of Computing Using Feedforward Feedback

"This paper reports upon action research to improve feedback on writing for assessment at one new UK University. The need to explicitly develop academic writing within all disciplines is now increasingly acknowledged [16]; but Computing tutors have also identified issues of confidence and motivation relating to first year undergraduates who often privilege practical skills above academic literacy and are reluctant to engage in writing [13]. Academic writing is traditionally assessed summatively, but feedback on completed assignments is often an inadequate response to students’ need for support. One possible solution is to revision the delivery of feedback as feedforward guidance, mapped to principles of good practice [21]. This has the potential to scaffold students’ ability to improve their writing through self-assessment. An evaluation of this intervention is presented. The analysis of results demonstrates a significant impact on: academic performance, student confidence and motivation. Therefore, recommendations are proposed for future feedback practice.