Giving Feedback on a Draft Assessment: Does It Improve Student Uptake of Feedback and Performance in Forensic Chemistry?

Considerable tutor effort is put into providing feedback to students on assessments; however, low rates of engagement are a known problem in higher education. This study measured the impact of a new feedback design in a forensic chemistry assessment on engagement and grade distribution across three cohorts (2023–25) using data from a virtual learning environment. In the assessment, students examine a mock police exhibit, a questioned document and two pens, in a laboratory practical using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy and a Visual Spectral Comparator, and then write the results up in an expert witness statement. Under the new feedback design, a feedback opportunity was given on a draft submission of the statement, rather than after the final summative submission. Across ∼100 students in each cohort, the rate of feedback uptake improved from 7% to 98%. Although the difference between the mean grades between cohorts was not statistically significant, the grade profile improved. Students in 2023/24 also completed an online survey to assess their perceptions of the new feedback design. This revealed that the new design increased their confidence when tackling the final assessment. A face-to-face session where students could clarify and discuss any feedback comments with the tutor enabled the feedback to be viewed as a collaborative and two-way process.