Whether or not students receive effective feedback can have a big impact on their overall learning process. The more qualitative and personalized the feedback is, the more effective it is in supporting the students with their individual learning goals. The latest developments in learning analytics and artificial intelligence have made it possible to provide a large number of students with personalized feedback automatically and simultaneously. Despite these technical advances, there is still much to be learned about the ability of students to use this feedback for their scholastic benefit. So far, only a limited number of studies have examined the impact of feedback literacy on students’ perceptions of feedback, which is particularly true for technology-enhanced learning environments.
A newly published paper addresses this issue and focuses on how students interpret and respond to customized, in-depth feedback produced through learning analytics tools and how feedback literacy changed these perceptions. For their study, the researchers conducted a randomized field experiment with around 200 teacher education students, who took part in a computer-supported collaborative learning task on cognitive activation in the classroom during the course of a week. The students were divided into two groups; each group was given automated, personalized feedback. The experimental group was given comprehensive feedback on their group activities and the quality of their collaborative responses. The control group only received simple feedback on their task fulfillment.
In general, the students found the highly informative feedback generated through learning analytics to be more effective than the basic feedback. This was especially the case for students with a higher feedback literacy level. For the students, the highly informative feedback was perceived to be more useful and informative. They also saw the highly informative feedback as being more beneficial in helping them better reflect and self-regulate their learning behavior.
The study was able to identify feedback literacy as a key factor that influences how students engage with feedback. It also emphasizes the importance of investing in thoughtfully designed feedback systems. Given the ongoing challenge of scaling personalized feedback in higher education, the findings suggest that learning analytics can offer valuable support – provided that students are equipped with the skills to effectively interpret and apply it to their learning process.
For more information, check out the full article:
Weidlich, J., Fink, A., Frey, A., Jivet, I., Gombert, S., Menzel, L., Giorgashvili, T., Yau, J. & Drachsler, H. (2025). Highly informative feedback using learning analytics: how feedback literacy moderates student perceptions of feedback. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-025-00539-9.