Feedback as an Assessment for Learning Tool in Higher Education: Experiences of Lecturers and Postgraduate Students at One Selected State University in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study sought to find out the experiences of lecturers and postgraduate students in one selected state university in Zimbabwe with reference to feedback as an assessment for learning tool in higher education. The study was motivated by students' complaints that feedback no longer served its desired purpose. A qualitative approach and case study design were employed to solicit data from five lecturers and 30 purposively selected social science postgraduate students. In-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to elicit data that was later analysed to discern themes. The findings were threefold: feedback as an assessment for learning tool was uninformative; the channels used for dissemination were not user friendly and it was not timeously given. The study concluded that the fundamentals for and of giving feedback seemed to be disregarded due to challenges experienced by both lecturers and postgraduate students. The study recommends that lecturers should give constructive, informative and timeous feedback for it to enhance learning. In addition, postgraduate students should engage lecturers whenever feedback fails to meet their expectations.