A Study on the Effect of Structured versus Unstructured Company Advisors’ Feedback on Innovation Project Team Performance

Abstract

To equip university students with the necessary knowledge and skills for their future workplace, companies provide opportunities for students to participate as “trainee consultants” in innovation-related projects as a form of experiential learning. While we recognise the importance of company advisors’ feedback on students’ projects, there are limited studies on the relationship between advisors’ feedback and student performance. In this quasi-experimental study, we investigate how structured advisors’ feedback could influence students’ learning and project performance. A total of 40 Year Three and Four undergraduates from the NUS Business School volunteered for this study. They were randomly assigned into 11 teams, with 19 students in the treatment groups and 21 students in the control groups. Five company advisors were asked to provide written feedback for the treatment groups using a feedback form, which focus students’ attention on three levels (task, process, and self-regulation, Hattie & Timperley, 2007) at three project milestone stages. Students in the control groups receive feedback from company advisors without any feedback form. Upon completion of the project, a survey was conducted to measure students’ attitude to feedback in supporting learning and the usefulness of company advisors’ feedback. The results showed that students who received structured feedback achieved better overall project performance than those who did not. Students who received structured feedback also showed a more positive attitude to feedback and perceive feedback as more useful than those who did not. The study adds to our understanding of the quality of company advisors’ written feedback and emphasises the need to provide ongoing support for advisors and students in the feedback process.