Purpose
Feedback is universally recognized as essential for learning. At its core, feedback highlights strengths and weaknesses, guiding future learning. Additionally, feedback can boost motivation, self-efficacy, engagement, and reflection in learners. This study aimed to identify the optimal qualities of feedback across various domains in the pre-clerkship phase of the medical curriculum.

Methods
With IRB approval, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight MS3 students, who reflected on their pre-clerkship experiences. Four active teaching faculty members also participated. The discussions covered the purposes and sources of feedback, as well as the qualities of effective and ineffective feedback. The interviews were recorded verbatim and transcribed for thematic analysis.

Results
Students and faculty agreed that feedback should be frequent, timely, specific, and actionable. Individualized feedback was preferred over group feedback, as generic feedback was not seen as useful. All participants emphasized the importance of constructive criticism but noted the risks if feedback becomes too personal. Such feedback should be delivered respectfully, by a trusted mentor, and in private to avoid public embarrassment. Faculty described many more sources and types of feedback across various domains (e.g., knowledge, clinical skills, reasoning) than students reported receiving.

Conclusion
While there was strong agreement on the qualities of effective feedback, students appeared to have lower feedback literacy compared to faculty. It is recommended that faculty explicitly plan feedback as a bridge between assessment and learning, clearly describing the feedback opportunities provided. Additionally, faculty development on the qualities of good feedback and best practices for delivering critical feedback is recommended.