Writing a scientific report is a new and challenging task for most first-year undergraduate biology students due to the academic transition, lack of prior experience, and confusion with the format and expectations. Over the years, we have developed extensive online resources to support students, including video guides and a bespoke Canvas module aligned with the instructions and marking rubric. This year, we supplemented the support with pre-submission one-on-one feedback sessions with instructors and post-marking one-on-one feedback sessions for additional clarification and consultation regarding remark requests. The post-marking feedback sessions aimed to increase accessibility of instructors for human support and ensure consistency and fairness of the marking system. Remark requests were escalated to the unit coordination team for review. We will share how the feedback sessions were managed for a large student cohort and their impact on student performance.
Teaching@Sydney