PhD Studentship: The Role of Technology-Enhanced Feedback in Students' Learning Behaviour and Learning Outcomes in Early University Education

This PhD project aims to explore the role and impact of technology-enhanced feedback on students’ learning behaviour and learning outcomes at the early stage of the university study. Whilst traditional feedback is generally written or verbal, feedback delivered with technology can take many forms including but not limited to audio, video, polling software, online quizzes and online problem sets. However, the impact of technology-enhanced feedback on student learning behaviour and outcomes are not well evidenced, and there are questions about how students interact with this type of feedback as part of their wider learning journey. This has led to following indicative research questions that the PhD student can develop further:

• Main research question: What is the role of technology-enhanced feedback in students’ learning behaviour and learning outcomes in early university education?

Ideas that could be explored under this broader heading are:

• How do students use feedback delivered through online systems to guide their own learning? To what extent does this feedback manifest or hinder the transition to becoming (more) independent learners?
• What value do students perceive technology-enhanced feedback to have? How does this compare with their perception of feedback delivered through more traditional methods?
• To what extent the advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence offer a way of replicating the complex characteristics of effective feedback approaches such as dialogic feedback?
• How do students emotionally respond to and engage with technology-enhanced feedback?

This project will be conducted within the STEM education setting and so there may also be disciplinary factors that impact how students use feedback delivered with the aid of technology. The expected outputs of this PhD project include research papers that examine the role of technology-enhanced feedback in students’ learning behaviour, including recommendations for the design and implementation of technology-enhanced feedback systems. The PhD student will develop a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research skills necessary to undertake this project. The researcher will gain significant experience of, and insight into teaching and technology-enhanced feedback practices in STEM undergraduate degree programmes. This will be of great interest to the STEM community, academics and teachers at Imperial and other institutions as well as the EdTech sector. 

Academic entry requirements  

Applicants must hold a first or upper second-class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant social sciences field (e.g., education, educational psychology, sociology) plus demonstrate a strong interest in education. Whilst a Master’s degree is preferable, equivalent research experience (at least one year in total) can be accepted in its place. A technical background with applied maths and/or programming experience is desirable but not required. Successful candidates will also be expected to meet the Imperial College Entry Requirements , including the English Language Requirement , where relevant.

How to apply

Applications should be made online  via the Imperial College Gateway

Your online application must include:

• Statement of interest
• CV
• Two academic references
• Academic transcripts

Please note that unfortunately, we are unable to support international students due to the scholarship only covering the Home Tuition Fee rate.

Project-related enquiries can be made to Dr Maria Parkes ([email protected] ) and Dr Tiffany Chiu ([email protected] ).

Application Deadline: 12pm (UK time) Tuesday January 31 2023 (start date will be by mutual agreement)