Database of the Quasi-experimental Study on Self-feedback in Online Higher Education - IN_FEED4SUSTAIN Project

Project Context: This dataset is part of the research project "The power of self-feedback in online education: Integrating resource and dialogical comparisons for sustainable practices" (IN_FEED4SUSTAIN). The study was conducted at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), a fully online university characterized by asynchronous learning environments. In such settings, developing students' ability to generate their own feedback (self-feedback) is a critical competency for academic success and sustainable teaching. Data Content (Phase 2): This dataset corresponds to Phase 2 of the project, which consists of a quasi-experimental study. It investigates how students engage in self-feedback processes—the metacognitive act of comparing their own work against external informaton—to identify gaps and improve their performance. The students in the dataset followed the process below: Initial Draft: Students submitted an initial version of a specific academic task (First Assessment). Self-Feedback: Students were provided with an assigned "Comparator" (comparison resource) to review their own work asynchronously. Comparison guidelines: To support the self-feedback process, a group of participants received "Guidelines." This tool provides a structured framework of reflective questions. These prompts guided students through the process of analyzing their work, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and planning specific improvements based on the comparison resource. Final Submission: Students submitted a revised and improved version of the task (Final Assessment). Data Dictionary (Variable Interpretation): Student ID: Anonymized participant number. First Assessment: Grade obtained in the initial task/draft. Final Assessment: Grade obtained in the final version after the self-feedback process. Comparator: The assigned comparison resource (categorized as Suggestions for the assignment, Rubric, and AI). Comparison guidelines: Indicates the presence of a structured guide during the self-feedback process (Guidelines = received the comparison guidelines tool; No Guidelines = performed the task without additional guide). Faculty: Academic faculty (e.g., Law and Political Science Studies; Psychology and Education Studies). Level: Academic level (undergraduate or master's degree). Course: Anonymized different academic courses. Ethical Considerations: Data collection followed strict anonymity protocols. All participants provided informed consent for the use of their anonymized data for research and scientific dissemination purposes.