Student Perception on Cultivating Ownership of Feedback for Foundation and Undergraduate Level Engineering Courses

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Modern Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

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Student Perception on Cultivating Ownership of Feedback for Foundation and Undergraduate Level Engineering Courses

Haider Hussain, Sobia Qazi, Sarah Davidson

ABSTRACT:

The literature indicates that traditional teacher-centred feedback models often fail to engage students effectively, overlooking students’ active role in the feedback process. Moving beyond these models to approaches that cultivate students’ ownership and engagement with feedback is therefore essential. This research examines students’ perceptions of feedback ownership across Foundation and undergraduate Engineering programmes, exploring the factors that influence those perceptions and the interventions that might improve them. Student perceptions were assessed through an online survey across three departments: Foundation Engineering and Physical Sciences, Architecture and Built Environment, and Mechanical, Materials, and Manufacturing Engineering. Findings indicate that while most students actively engage with feedback processes, full ownership of feedback remains limited across all groups. Aerospace Engineering students largely remain at a developmental stage, characterised by reactive rather than strategic use of feedback. Architecture and Architectural Environment Engineering students demonstrate a stronger reflective culture and increasing ownership as they progress through their studies, though opportunity for improvement is linked to the method and timeliness of feedback delivery. Foundation Engineering students show developing but not yet fully independent feedback ownership, with teacher-centred tendencies evident in how they define feedback and attribute responsibility for it. Although the majority acknowledged feedback’s value for reflection and preferred it over a mark, a significant proportion engaged with feedback primarily for grade-driven reasons, revealing a gap between perceived value and self-regulated practice.
These findings will inform the next phase of this action research project, which will design targeted interventions to improve students’ ownership of feedback across the Faculty of Engineering.

Keywords: Feedback Literacy; Passive Feedback Role; Reflective Practice; Student Agency; Student Engagement