ACTA boosts teacher growth: improved feedback through a safe teaching climate

With support from the VU Centre for Teaching & Learning (CTL) in the last year, the focus was on raising awareness, fostering motivation, and creating a safe environment for learning about feedback together.

The goal: feedback that students can truly build on - clearly indicating what went well, what could be improved, and which concrete steps they can take to further develop. Evaluation results show that in 2024, teachers provide better feedback than in 2021, especially in terms of judgment, depth, and feedforward. Students now learn not only what went right or wrong, but also why—and how they can improve moving forward.

Carlos Serrano, Head of the General Oral Care Clinic ACTA, shares insights about the project: “Since 2020, the new curriculum - including the portfolio - has been implemented in the Master’s clinic. This major change required our dental educators to adopt a new approach to supervision and assessment. Over the past few years, we have provided intensive guidance, and last academic year we received tailored support from our colleagues at CTL. We are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made together and will continue to build on this upward trajectory.”

“We discovered that a safe and pleasant working atmosphere is essential for giving—and being open to—honest feedback. That’s something we worked on together,” says Geert Schenk, educational advisor at CTL. Annemiek Rollman, programme director of the Bachelor programme, reports that similar changes will also be implemented in the Bachelor's programme in the upcoming academic year. With this change in supervision and assessment, CTL will support them.

Jeroen Geurts, Rector Magnificus of VU Amsterdam emphasizes: “ACTA and CTL demonstrate that small, targeted steps can make a big difference. Good feedback elevates learning to a higher level, and it reflects what we stand for at VU: learning and improving together. With care, and with tact. Growth begins in a safe learning and working environment.”

Curious how you, as a teacher, can strengthen your feedback with just a few targeted steps? The VU CTL is happy to help you explore tailored solutions. To discuss options for your team, contact us at ctl@vu.nl.