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 tool designed to provide students with formative feedback on their assessments which was recently introduced at the University aimed at assessing a trial to evaluate AI-led feedback. Feedback from both the original human-led WF (Writing Feedback) service is compared to the WF+ service 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 a solution that blends AI and human-led feedback may offer the most balanced approach.