Teaching staff perspectives upon the differences between human and AI generated feedback within Studiosity’s study support service

AI (Artificial Intelligence) and GAI (Generative AI) are two technologies which are attracting growing interest within specific areas of academia. AI systems focus upon replicating, augmenting and performing tasks requiring human operators. In this study we examine the differences, challenges, and opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of how human and AI services can be used in a HEI – in an evaluation of a tool called WF+ (Writing Feedback Plus) which is designed to provide students with formative feedback on their assessments. The University wanted to determine if AI-led feedback was a suitable replacement for Studiosity’s existing human-led WF (Writing Feedback) service. Interviews with academic colleagues explored feedback from WF (Writing Feedback) and the WF+ services in a series of semi-structured interviews with university academics. Five paired themes and one AI specific theme are drawn from the data exploring the differing approaches and utility of human and AI feedback. The conclusion for other practitioners to draw from this study is that AI feedback demonstrates potential advantages of scale and reach, but it also reinforces the importance of humans in the feedback loop.