Exploring timeliness, positivity and collection rates of TMA feedback

Project leader(s): Colette Christiansen
Theme: Supporting students
Faculty: STEM
Status: Archived
Dates: July 2023 to May 2024

The correspondence tuition that tutors provide, via the Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs), is a key part of our teaching and support to students and represents a major investment of time and effort by tutors. Around 10%-15% of marked TMA scripts are not picked up by undergraduate students across STEM (the exact figure varies between modules) and the figure is slightly less across the undergraduate programme as a whole across the university. This project built on a previous eSTEeM project “Improving student use of feedback on marked TMAs” which included collecting high level data on the proportion of students collecting their TMA feedback based on characteristics like TMA score and level.

Using the data held on the Open University systems detailing whether TMA feedback had been collected, nearly 300,000 assignment submissions university wide were statistically analysed. The analysis covered demographic and timing factors leading to lower likelihood of feedback collection. A key factor analysed in timeliness of the return was whether the TMA was returned before the student’s next assessment was due. The most significant factors were student performance, gender, course level and assignment number along with timeliness relative to the next assessment date. Deprivation was not found to be significant once other factors were accounted for. The insights gained from this study suggest dedicated time for reviewing feedback in course design and consideration of demographics in engagement interventions is needed. It is also worth highlighting to Associate Lecturers that students who do not perform as well in a TMA are at risk of not collecting the feedback and would benefit from monitoring in this area. A further consideration is whether timing of all module assessments within the qualification pathway should be considered in planning assessment cut off dates.