Feedback on Written Assessments in Universities: A Topography of Literature

In higher education, the role of assessment has evolved from serving only the purpose of evaluation of the outcomes of the learning process to assessment as part of the learning purposes. Summative or formative, the potential of assessment to facilitate learning is now recognised. Feedback is one of the most influential factors on learning but is also one of the least satisfactory elements of the student experience. How has interest in, understanding of, and implementation of feedback changed over time? What are the general characteristics of feedback implementation found in literature? To what productive directions might future research feedback on assessment take? To gain these insights, a systematic quantitative review of literature on feedback on written assessment in higher education was undertaken, revealing that feedback as a field of inquiry, despite burgeoning interest, remains nascent, mostly 'stuck in old ways'.