Research project Reflection is an important part of learning in higher education, but providing personal, developmental feedback takes time. CLARITY investigates whether AI-generated feedback can match or exceed the quality of traditional feedback while strengthening students’ reflective ability and freeing up teachers’ time.
CLARITY is an educational research project that develops and evaluates AI-generated feedback on students’ reflective assignments. Surveys and randomised intervention studies examine feedback quality, students’ experiences and effects on reflective ability. The goal is to create engaging, pedagogically supportive feedback that improves learning while reducing teachers’ workload.
Can AI provide better feedback?
Feedback is one of the most important factors in student learning, but high-quality feedback is often time-consuming to provide. At the same time, reflective ability is becoming increasingly important in professions where knowledge and tasks change rapidly. CLARITY investigates whether artificial intelligence can help teachers provide personal, constructive and learning-oriented feedback on students’ reflective assignments.
How is the research conducted?
The project is carried out within the International Crisis and Conflict Management programme at Umeå University. Students complete recurring reflective assignments and receive feedback from AI, a teacher or a fellow student. Surveys and randomised controlled studies are used to examine feedback quality, students’ experiences and effects on learning over time. Assessments use internationally validated instruments for feedback and reflection quality.
Developing reflective ability through AI-generated feedback
Preliminary results indicate that AI-generated feedback can achieve very high quality while saving teachers’ time. The project aims to develop AI-supported approaches that combine pedagogical quality with a personal and engaging style. If the findings are confirmed, the approach could be transferred to other programmes where reflection and feedback are central to learning. CLARITY may therefore contribute to both higher educational quality and more effective use of teaching resources.
