If at first you do not succeed: student behavior when provided feedforward with multiple trials for online summative assessments

Best practices suggest that timely, actionable feedback is provided with the option to apply the feedback. We used a learning management system to deliver assessments with automatic feedback provided at the conclusion of the assessment, allowing for multiple attempts in order to apply the knowledge gained. Questions were pooled so each attempt was unique, the highest score earned was awarded, with no penalty for failure to use multiple attempts. We found that students who did not earn an A on their first attempt were more likely to try again. Those that did tended to score better on their second attempt. This leads us to conclude that assessment design with multiple attempts that incorporates feedforward influences student behavior. Future work will include additional STEM general education courses in a broader study and a survey of student opinions regarding the utility of the feedback and the option for multiple attempts.

Automated summary

Timely and actionable feedback is important for student behavior, and assessment design with multiple attempts can help improve student performance.