Felipe Tessarolo, Christothea Herodotou and Emily Coughlan 2026. Developing an Evidence-Informed Framework for First Tutor-Marked Assignment Support in Distance Higher Education. 12th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’26). Valencia, Spain 15 - 18 Jun 2026 Polytechnic University of Valencia Congress. https://doi.org/10.4995/head26.2026.21665
| Title | Developing an Evidence-Informed Framework for First Tutor-Marked Assignment Support in Distance Higher Education |
|---|---|
| Authors | Felipe Tessarolo, Christothea Herodotou and Emily Coughlan |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | This paper introduces the First TMA Intervention Framework, a practice-informed model for supporting students during their first tutor-marked assignment (TMA) in distance higher education. Developed through a narrative institutional review of 93 documented interventions and practices, the framework maps institutional and tutor-led support to 12 critical checkpoints across the first assignment lifecycle, from early engagement and preparation to feedback and post-assessment reflection. Drawing on institutional data and practitioner insight, the framework offers a structured and transferable way to analyse and organise first-assignment support practices. |
| Keywords | distance education |
| assessment support | |
| tutor-marked assignments | |
| learning analytics | |
| evidence-informed practice | |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | 12th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’26) |
| Publisher | Polytechnic University of Valencia Congress |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 15 Jun 2026 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.4995/head26.2026.21665 |
| Web address (URL) | https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd26.2026.21665 |