Early, But Not Intermediate, Evaluative Feedback Predicts Cumulative Exam Scores in Large Lecture-Style Post-Secondary Education Classrooms

A critical step in promoting academic success among students involves the early identification of those in need of additional support before they fall too far behind. With this aim in mind, the present study investigated whether early and intermediate evaluative feedback on in-class quizzes were predictive of students' scores on a final cumulative exam in a third year Psychology course at a large North American university. Early feedback was operationally defined as the percentage score that students received on a quiz that took place on the third of 12 classes, whereas intermediate feedback was operationally defined as the percentage score that students received on a quiz that took place on the seventh of 12 classes. The results of a regression analysis showed that early, but not intermediate, evaluative feedback was predictive of students' scores on the final cumulative exam. The implications of the present findings include a practical, low-cost means of identifying students who could benefit most from additional academic support and resources to help enhance their achievement in a course. Moreover, the present study suggests that it is important for students to adopt effective study habits and learning strategies from the beginning of a course. Adopting these practices could help improve students' academic success, experience, and retention rates, benefiting both the university and student body.