Feedback perceptions: Preliminary analysis of semistructured group interviews with first-year bachelor students of Computer Science

This full paper reports on research into feedback perceptions. In recent years enrolment in Engineering Education went up and the number of international students increased, leading to larger classes and greater variety in prior education within the classroom. Literature review reveals large classes lead to fewer opportunities for students to interact with their teachers and receive high quality formative feedback. Feedback helps students to reflect on the quality of their work. Engineering Education is characterized by overloaded, heavily scaffolded curricula, and learning activities; it is paramount to provide students with feedback they perceive as useful and meaningful. The larger diversity in the classroom means there is a larger diversity in feedback perceptions that needs to be taken into account when providing feedback. In this work we present the preliminary outcomes of a study that was informed by the following research question: How do first-year bachelor students perceive feedback? We performed multiple semistructured interviews with 17 first-year students in computer science during their first semester, and aimed to collect data on the students' lived experiences and the spread of student realities, using a phenomenological approach. The preliminary results show that there are many essential aspects that influence students' feedback perceptions. Study shows that such aspects as large class and relationships with teacher play very important role in developing certain feedback perceptions amongst students.