Enhancing feedback on continuous assessments via a graduate teaching assistant workflow training

This work presents a pedagogical approach to improve the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of feedback on continuous assessments through a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) workflow training. Student satisfaction with feedback in UK higher education has historically been lower than for other teaching elements, often due to unclear, inconsistent, or non-actionable comments. In response, a structured workflow was developed and implemented within a final-year Chemical Engineering course at the University of Manchester to improve feedback and marking practices on coursework marked by GTAs. The workflow, based on a “Prepare–Train–Test–Ready” cycle, aimed to ensure marking consistency, detailed justification of marks, and feedback focussed on critical discussion and student improvement. The approach was informed by established feedback principles, including timely, specific, goal-oriented, and actionable feedback, as well as tailored feedback categories. Implementation took place in the past two academic years and resulted in improved student satisfaction, way fewer complaints about marking, and measurable increases in feedback evaluation scores. In addition, the enhanced quality of feedback boosted students’ academic performance in the final exam and their overall attitude towards the course. The study thus demonstrates that a structured GTA workflow training can significantly improve student learning experience and feedback effectiveness across STEM disciplines.