What the study found
Common QuickMarks (reusable feedback comments in Turnitin) developed with the ImPACT principles were reported to improve feedback consistency, transparency, and acceptability. The study also found that students needed support to act on the feedback.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say the approach matters because it can help improve the transparency of assessment, support teaching staff's feedback literacy, and support students' feedback literacy. They also suggest it may help address lack of transparency in feedback while allowing some personalisation.
What the researchers tested
The project was carried out in two phases across two institutions, both involving psychology teaching staff. Staff were asked to provide all or their most important QuickMarks, content analyses were used to identify feedback topics, and these were used to develop QuickMark sets based on the ImPACT principles: Improvement focus, Parsimony/Generality, Accessibility, Clarity and Consistency, and Tone.
What worked and what didn't
In phase 1, teaching staff reported that using common QuickMarks made marking more efficient and encouraged a balance between positive and developmental feedback. In phase 2, the same method was used to develop common QuickMarks aligned with course learning outcomes at another university, and student feedback was mainly positive; however, students still needed support to act on the feedback.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond noting that encouraging staff to adhere to the common set of QuickMarks is still needed. The findings are based on psychology teaching staff and students in two institutions, so the summary is limited to that context.
Key points
- The study developed ImPACT principles for what counts as good feedback.
- Common QuickMarks were reported to improve consistency, transparency, and acceptability of feedback.
- Teaching staff said common QuickMarks made marking more efficient in phase 1.
- Student feedback was mainly positive, but students still needed help to act on the feedback.
- The authors say staff adherence to the common QuickMark set still needs encouragement.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Common QuickMarks improved feedback consistency
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-28
- OpenAlex record:
- View
- Image credit:
- Photo by ThisisEngineering on Unsplash · Unsplash License
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