Improving the quality of TA feedback in scientific writing assignments using structured course-specific training

Effective feedback is a cornerstone of student learning in scientific writing, yet many teaching assistants (TAs) lack formal training in how to provide it. This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a course-specific feedback training for graduate TAs in a third-year undergraduate medical sciences laboratory course. The intervention included a structured workshop and collaboratively developed feedback guidelines tailored to the course's scientific writing assignments. Data were collected through three anonymous surveys administered before, during, and after the course to assess TAs' prior experience, perceptions of the training, and reflections on their practice in providing feedback. Results showed that most TAs had no prior training in feedback and valued the discipline-specific nature of the workshop, particularly the use of case studies from previous course iterations. TAs reported improved understanding and confidence in delivering effective feedback, although variation in guideline use and feedback overload were noted as challenges. The findings suggest that structured, course-specific feedback training can enhance TA feedback practices and support both TA professional development and student learning. This model may be adapted for broader departmental or institutional use.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Teaching assistants (TAs) are often the main source of feedback on scientific writing in undergraduate physiology and biomedical science courses, but most have not been trained to do it well. We created a course-level intervention to help graduate TAs give more useful feedback. Our practical approach, which involved a 1-day workshop and the development of course-specific feedback guidelines, can be scaled and adapted to improve the teaching and learning of scientific communication skills.