Giving Successful Feedback Without Fear of Fallout
Giving feedback to someone in a position of authority, like your instructor, can feel intimidating. You may fear that your instructor may retaliate by lowering your grades because they are upset about your feedback. This is a common worry amongst students.
It is important to understand that the University values student voices. Your feedback is essential to our university system, where change is often only started when someone says something is wrong. Without these voices, likely nothing will change.
Why Students Hesitate
Fear of grading retaliation is a common concern amongst students. Students also worry about being seen as a “troublemaker” or hurting a professional relationship that they may need to rely on for references or for future classes. They may worry that some anonymous feedback is not really anonymous. Many students see conflict as awkward or something to be avoided at all costs, especially given the power imbalance between student and instructor.
As the Ombudsperson, I strive to inspire students to deliver thoughtful feedback when justified. Below, I will provide some practical tips to help students feel safe speaking up.
Put It in Perspective
Most educators at the University genuinely want to do a good job. If I may use myself as an example: I don’t know what I don’t know. I find it helpful — and indeed I welcome it — when someone shares a perspective with me that I had not considered. Likely, many of your instructors have the same view.
It is also important to consider that instructors are trained professionals. Unlike others who you may have seen reacting negatively to feedback (friends, family, coworkers, etc.), instructors likely know how to separate personal feelings from academic assessment. It’s their job to do so. If they have taught students before, they have likely encountered student feedback and know how to handle it appropriately and professionally. Your feedback, although likely a big deal to you, may be only one of many instances your instructor has encountered.
Institutional Protections
To be clear, retaliation at UVic is unacceptable.
Grades are determined according to rules in the Academic Calendar and departmental guidelines. Factors like personal feelings, biases, relationships, or non-academic behaviour should not be used for grading. This means that if the negative feelings created from your feedback are used in grading, your instructor would be acting outside the rules.
Other retaliation, outside of grading, is also prohibited at UVic. For example, the Discrimination and Harassment Prevention and Response Policy (GV0205) and the Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Policy (GV0245) specifically forbid retaliation. This means that any adverse behaviour taken or threatened in response to someone seeking support, disclosing, or participating in a process can be justification for discipline.
Outside of the written rules, retaliating against a student is a bad look. One’s reputation is valuable currency in a university setting — as you likely know as a student. Retaliation is the sort of unseemly behaviour that will reflect poorly on an instructor’s reputation, and they will likely avoid it.
Be Heard — not Hurtful
You can avoid the potential for negative feelings that may spur on retaliation by refining your message. Consider the following tips:
Give Them Something to Work With
Focus on specific behaviours or actions instead of personal feelings, assumptions, or generalizations. This makes your feedback clearer, more constructive, and easier for your instructor to act on without feeling attacked.
Describe objective and observable behaviours, words, or actions. Only sharing subjective conclusions is difficult to action and reflects poorly on your judgement, which undercuts your message. See the examples below:
Establish the Benchmark
Feedback is stronger when it’s linked to clear expectations and not just personal preferences. Referencing a standard shows you’re not being arbitrary, but you’re highlighting a gap between what’s expected and what happened.
You can find standards in several places at the University: course outlines, University policies, department or faculty guidelines, or professional norms or codes of conduct.
See the examples below:
Sometimes there is no written standard that you can refer to. If this is the case, don’t just assume that you have a shared understanding of what is expected. Establish why you think certain behaviour is troublesome. Concepts like disrespect, unprofessionalism, or rudeness can mean different things to different people and it is your responsibility to establish a shared understanding if your feedback is to be successful.
What to Do if You Suspect Grade Retaliation?
Grade retaliation can take various forms, such as sudden or unjustified changes in your marks. However, simply receiving lower grades or constructive criticism doesn’t necessarily indicate retaliation.
If you suspect grade retaliation, know that you’re not alone. Reach out to the Chair of the Department, the Dean, or the Office of the Ombudsperson for advice or intervention. It’s important to initiate contact early and preserve your assignments and any written records.
Additionally, you may have a remedy through the Review of Assigned Grade process, which employs the help of an independent grader who re-grades your work. Find out more about this process here and through your Department’s website.