Studies highlight the importance of shared comprehension regarding the objectives of feedback, encompassing both educator and learner feedback literacy. Collaborative interprofessional teamwork is essential for optimal patient outcomes. Although undergraduate students from various disciplines are progressively engaging in joint learning and evaluation, limited insights exist into their common or distinct feedback encounters. The objective of this investigation was to examine perceptions among medical and pharmacy students and educators concerning a proposed feedback approach grounded in existing evidence. This inter-faculty investigation adopted a collaborative student-staff partnership model. A faculty member conducted focus groups with educators from the Schools of Medicine (SOM) and Pharmacy (SOP). Student focus groups involving participants from both schools were led by a student from the SOP. Thematic analysis of the data employed template analysis, performed collaboratively by educators and students across the two schools.
The analysis yielded three primary themes: objectives of feedback, contextual setting, and structural elements. Diverse understandings complicate educators' ability to clearly indicate feedback instances and learners' capacity to identify them. Variations in feedback aims and implementation were evident between early and later program stages. Students in earlier years expressed dissatisfaction with excessively polite and non-specific comments, whereas those in advanced years reacted negatively to a culture of harsh criticism, which was particularly pronounced among medical students. Notwithstanding extensive theoretically supported research, actual practices fail to foster feedback literacy effectively. Contextual variations persist even within individual programs, necessitating careful consideration when establishing a constructive, program-wide feedback environment.
