Divide the lecture period into 2 parts. In the first tenth, deal with generic problems. In the remaining time, deal with individual problems. Let students go if they achieved 100% or have had their difficulties resolved. Try not to coach to the exam, as you may need similar questions for your next exam.  If done early enough, before submission of the marks to the faculty, it can be useful to catch mark totalling errors or unmarked questions. The whole procedure is necessary to reassure the students that the exam process is fair. However, do not let it degenerate into a grade grubbing session.

Ian,

Thank you, an interesting approach I haven't come across before.  Do you have any way of dealing with students who self-absent from such a session as they are the people most likely to benefit from the feedback?

Dear Christian,

Thank you for the positive response and the indication of the value well beyond the immediate learning experience for students.  It sounds like you have a similar value in that I still remember to this day some 25 years after graduating at undergraduate level just what it was like being a student and what was important to me to learn.  

@Edward. No. They are already holidaying at the beaches, but digging their own graves.

Ian, an interesting response, I would be keen to know what has led to your view on this.

There are sadly some students who are beyond help. Lecturing to them is like "casting pearls unto the swine", to use my science teacher's biblical phrase to the B class.

Dear Edward,

from my personal point of view I can strongly recommend to continue your approach. Aditionally, I would like to suggest that you introduce "homeworks". For me personally, it was very important to have feedback before an exam and to learn from mistakes before the exam and speak about my problems with students/lecturer before the exam. This can be achieved by "homeworks". Regarding the B class: I agree with Ian. Some students will never learn to study if the lecturer is teaching them to pass the exam but never to solve problems.

Dear Patrick,

Thank you, do you think there is any typical reason for students in the B class not wanting to learn from their mistakes? 

Dear Edward, I think there is not only one typical reason. I guess it depends also on the topic. One example: A student had passed the exam of "quality management". He made, however some failures in the exam. Quality management is a widely teached topic for engineers. However, a student who don't "like" this topic is more focusing on other topics like "programming" and don't see the reason to make an effort of beeing better in quality manager for his job later on. This is just one reason and one example.

Dear Edward,

I strongly identify with your position; I try to give some sort of feedback to my students.I teach organic chemistry and some of my classes are really large(thousands). I have observed that most questions revolve around abstractions and nomenclature that appear counter-intuitive.

For example in my benzene class students are more interested in Kekule's dream than in resonance. One can weave elaborate arguments for why the term should represent the abstract concept it seeks to represent but the everyday commonsensical use of the word will always cause confusion anytime time the word comes up in an O chem class.

I convert some of these abstractions into cartoons; I have got some modest results.

I have stopped(reduced to minimal) offering individual feedback (in my office) on account of the sizes of these classes and since they almost always degenerate into a grade grubbing sessions(to borrow Sir Ian Kennedy's expression).

I agree with Sir Ian Kennedy, that some students can make the teaching experience a painful one. I have left many a class with welling eyes and a lump in my throat.

According to my experience, the lecturer has to keep a balance. Its good to divide the lecture, 1st dealing with general problems, questioner to their wrong answers, then go for individual counseling. If its taking too much time, keep the counselling after the lecture. 

Hi Edward, I really share your position and agree with the responses provided. Teaching is a really demanding job. I have no doubt that providing feedback on students' exam results is useful for students not only to assure the fairness of the marking but also they learn a lot from the discussion. But it is time demanding and not every student is genuinely in need of receiving feedback.

From my experience, I suggest the following could work for you. Firstly, try to post general but key response areas that students should have dealt with to satisfactorily answer specific questions. Secondly, you could also spar some time in the class to reiterate your posted response items. Thirdly, you can invite students who really have a point and need to discuss it privately in your office.

Giving Student Feedback: 20 Tips To Do It Right. Please see the link below.

http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/giving-student-feedback/

Feedback is important. I remember when I took Algebra course years ago. I had to submit my homework to the lecturer and he gave me written feedbacks. Having read the comments (on the feedback), I reviewed my answer and tried to find better answer. Wlell, based on my experiences, the feedback encourage students to re-think, review and come-up with new ideas and better understanding. Feedback encourages students to learn.  

I will say the same than the rest of this group! YES! I spend time answering the exam with students after the evaluation. And it is worth!

l see it important because they understan why they were right or wrong and the number gets a meaning.

The other important aspect is giving feedback fast. If you keep them for long time waiting, the evaluation loses sense, in my opinion. So plan two evaluations, kill your self for a couple of weekends, it is worth!!

Yes, it is definitely worth the time. On class evaluations, I often see comments from students that encourage me to continue the practice. For example, "the instructor cares..." or "I learn better when I'm shown how my answers or solutions could be improved."

 I teach at the PG level. We follow Semester system which has extensive ongoing assessments through class tests and Semester end exams. I discuss the test/exam performance with my students. According to my experience use of this strategy helps students identify their strengths and weakness but also work on them systematically. For many students these discussions act as potent motivator to work more positively and systematically. They are able to connect whether its the understanding, application or transaction of concepts which is the grey area. For long term positive results these discussions are fruitful and very satisfying for the Teacher too.

This actually makes the students very confident, at ease and able to face challenges thrown at them.....

Last semester, I gave feedback to my students to their mid-term copies. Now I'm checking their final semester copies and I'm happy to see their improvement. I give them extra time, excluded from my lecture duration. I prefer to select a free day for individual feedback process.

For several years, I taught a class of > 375 students. For mid-term and final exams, I had students complete two identical copies of their exam papers in class. We collected one copy as a control, then went through the questions and announced the correct answers. Students corrected their own papers , given themselves partial credit (1/3) for correcting wrong answers. They loved the immediate feedback and my TAs loved not having to grade the papers (we checked about 5% of the control copies and never found any cheating).

Ian Kennedy and Patrick Steglich, both of you, gave interesting answers.

When student feedback is given immediately after showing proof of learning, the student responds positively and remembers the experience about what is being learned in a confident manner. If we wait too long to give feedback, the moment is lost and the student might not connect the feedback with the action.

Yes, it is a way to learn for the students.

Dear Edward,

I do several exams in a term, usually the exam is done within the last 30 minutes of the lecture. I divide the time; 20 minutes for the exam and 5 minutes to answer the questions by myself and 5 minutes to receive the feedback from students. After 30 years experience I would prefer to  give comments to each paper marked. I have the highest percentage approach 100% success in the subjects I do. Also have the highest success rate compared to other  faculty staff.

Best regards

O yes, if it is a continuing class. Feedback on exam can provide further learning opportunity for students. However, for a final year class it is pointless.

We use collaborative test review in our nursing program.  If you still use written exams with scantrons, this might work for you.  A week after the exam, I return the test booklets to the students, divide the students into small groups (of 3-4) and then students spend 30-45 minutes discussing each question and coming up with (hopefully) the correct answer together.  The small groups are strategically put together by me ahead of time, with stronger students paired with students who had lower scores. After the discussion, I return the scantrons to the students so they can see how they performed and whether their discussions were correct!   Students enjoy this type of activity, and find it empowering.  They report that it strengthens their critical thinking and test taking abilities.  Students also figure out the answers together, and so there is less "anger" towards the instructor. 

Faculty experience reveal that exam feedback is taken as it is meant to b by 10 to 15 percent students.Hovever one cannot deny the possitive.If properly implemented it can serve the purpose.it is observed that when the exams feedback is given in a classroom session it reduces the queries by 85 percent which can be the followed by individual feedback.

Feedback is an essential part of effective learning and should be planned as part of delivery. The only way students can learn from any sort of test is when they receive feedback which enables them to improve their score on a repeat test. However, the opportunity to complete a task a number of times in a variety of different ways (i.e. a live brief or project) and learn from mistakes and make improvements can be more effective when there isn't the pressure of an exam. Pressure doesn't necessarily produce better results. 

Hello Edward,

I think your main concern is that offering individual feedback on exam is time consuming and besides you are not sure if it is valuable.

One of the strategies that I have observed teachers use during my research on teacher expertise is utilize exam papers for preparing students both for the content and the exam simultaneously. So students know what is expected of them in the exam and the demands of the questions. Hence, when you provide feedback on exam, it saves time as students might have made some sense of where their mistakes are and what they need to focus on to improve. And it gives you the opportunity to reiterate and establish their learning as a whole class. Individual problems must also be addressed as a whole class because this will then reduce the possibility of giving similar feedback to others individually or even later in another exam, thus saving time and making it valuable to both you and your students.

It is part of our job to offer constructive and individualised feedback and is never a waste of our time.  From a feedback study I undertook, students didn't read the feedback if it is generic or if they don't respect the lecturer who offered it. If the feedback is purposeful it can be beneficial. 

Depending on the test given, the most important feedback would be to clarify where understanding was lacking. This understanding will take time and will not necessarily be evident in the next assessment. But it's important to recognise that they are moving closer to understanding. Davidson calls it not wrong but  'Not there yet.'

When a student does extremely well on an assignment I tell them where they might go next, what they might like to read and discover. 

If you read any educational theory around feedback (Hattie, Petty, Wiliam and Black) they will all say that feedback is critical in developing the student's potential for future exams. However, it is equality as important that the students act on feedback. This is the difficult part or rather, this is the time-consuming part as acting on feedback needs to be authentic and meaningful.

With my undergraduate students I tackle this in lots of different ways, a few examples are listed below: 

a) exam preprartion: I have used previous student responses from previous exams or mock questions.  By reviewing previous student answers and asking the students to identify where the answer lost mark and gained marks helps the current students to understand how to answer the exam question. Using mock questions allows the students to attempt exam style questions and compare their response to the model answer which I present to the students. This leads to a general discussion about where marks were lost and gained. 

b) Common error: I have a bank of common error which occur, often they are related to language and meaning. 

c) Post exam: based on the whole cohort exam I identify feedback themes, I then share this with the cohort.  

d) In terms of asking the student to act in an authentic meaningful way with their feedback, I do not do this post exam (time) however, I would highlight my first point about modelling and previous answers. 

I agree with you and I also do the same. Feedback should be prompt and can either be on an individual level or group base. You can identify the general areas in class where most students went wrong but then offer a ten minute session for individual attention. The students benefit from it as long as they see it as being beneficial to them. Just don't get consumed by the whole process. 

I think that is a great service to offer to your students.  You can know if it changes performance by tracking the progress of the students  after they have gotten the feedback from you.  I am sure it would be quite easy to find out by just looking at your grade book.  I would have a set time to do it and do a specific amount of students so you don't get overwhelmed in one sitting.  I would also only do it for those students who request this service.   So students should know it is available but only if they ask.

Based on my experience, I also want to suggest that you continue your practice. From my teaching, I find that there will always be students that would prefer not to hear what they did wrong but those that seek to do better, seem to always seek answers from me as to what they can do to improve.  Often times I find that this practice and their reaction to it gives me a clear picture as to which of my students care and which ones I may need to encourage to care more (often this is a waste of time, but not always).

Additionally, you will never be called on by a student contesting a grade when you have given them both written and even verbal feedback.  In my research courses, I require students to meet with me (as an assignment) so I can give them individual feedback on their research projects. 

Lastly, as Adrian stated above, don't allow yourself to be consumed by the process.

I have tried it both ways. Most of my students consider a waste of class time. I always tell students if they want to see their exams to come see me in my office. I usually only have two or three out of a hundred do it. It is always the A students who want to fight for every point. the C, D, and F students never come by. 

I see the whole exam-process more as a continuous learning opportunity than a judgement. From that viewpoint feedback is absolutely essential - without it there is no reason for exams at all...

The feedback needs to feed forward to be useful. A student may well feel there is little need for feedback if the next assignment or test doesn't build on the knowledge of the former assessment. Those student may feel that the knowledge called upon in the test and those particular skills and understandings are over and no longer required. When care is taken to create assessment that builds on former understanding and asks students for deeper critical thinking, feedback might be valued and acted upon. 

It really depends on the design of the course and the subject being taught. Some courses are designed around the teachings of B.F. Skinner and are step by step criterion  based instruction. You have to go from a to b to get to c. In those courses Vesa is right, feedback would be useful, if the students would pay attention to it. In modular designed courses, the knowledge of the previous module is not always  dependent on the module currently under study. In these cases Gloria is right and any feedback needs to perceived as useful by the student. 

From my personal experience, giving feedback is very important in students' learning.  However, it also depends on how you give it.  In most cases if given shortly after  the paper, usually it yields good results.   It also depends on the teaching method being used. Term system vs semester or modular system.  So as a teacher you have to gauge and find the appropriate time.  Feedback is very useful in every situation.

Two days ago I made a focus group with some univerty students about eportfolios as a tool for learning and for acessement. The students opinion is that the feedback is very importante for them because they can integrante those ideas in their work. I think it is a very important atitude to support students learning.

Giving immediate feedback is essential for it improves creativity and critical thinking to the learners. When a learner realizes his/her mistakes through the reasoning with his/her professor, the learner is able to redirect and shape her thinking style. Further, a learner is highly motivated when she/he realizes that she/e can perform. This is more so with learners who have learning disabilities. 

Yes I offer the possibility of feedback to my students after the exams so they can review their successes or errors and can ask Teacher any questions you have, or you can guide your study of face new calls for exams. The problem is that to the be a feedback free, the students that it accepts is rather scarce.

Sí ofrezco la posibilidad de retroalimentación a mis estudiantes después de los exámenes para que puedan revisar sus aciertos o errores y puedan preguntar al profesor cualquier duda que tengan, o bien, orientar su estudio de cara a nuevas convocatorias de exámenes. El problema es que al ser una retroalimentación libre, el alumnado que lo acepta es más bien escaso.

Giving feedback of exams to students is very important but that should not be a replacement to lecture hours. It is important to take the students through a sequence of learning process.

Students can gain a lot by getting feedback whether on exams or projects.

Specific feedback for specific person is worthy we do in practical hours .......

Encouraging makes students to do better than discouraging..........