Making the exams that the answer are easy to grade like multiple choices and t/f answer.
I could deffinatelly benifit from streamlining some of these systems.
Our school does not have homework, but we do grade lab papers, which can be quite tedious, I think highlighting or underlining the key answers on lab papers might speed up the process.
Class tests are multiple choice already, but implementing a scantron system might help.
I belive that we should grade all work as soon as the class is done to keep track of the progress of the students. If we do it sooner we know if a student is not understanding the material in the class.
Yes, this is a great process David and highly efficient. Thanks for breaking it down for us!
ScanTron utilizes cards wherein the student uses a #2 Pencil to make the correct answer (A, B, C, or D). The Insturctor marks for correct answers on a Master ScanTron Card and enters that card into the scanner first. At that time, all of the students' cards can be run through the ScanTron and the machine marks the incorrect answers and provides a final grade. Saves a lot of time.
Interesting approach David and it sounds organized and efficient. I'd love to learn more about Scan Reading.
Exams are graded by ScanTron and Homework is graded on Scan Reading for content and relevance. In addition, homework is usually in the form of answering a Quiz which is also graded by ScanTron.
Streamlining my grading is something that I have been trying to work on. I really want to create exams that have an answer sheet on the front that just needs to be pulled off when students are finished. I also ask my students to respond in writing to various questions. I am tossing around the idea of possibly setting up an online site where they can go and post thier responses. I will be starting a different course with my students mid-April and I am going to employ some of these ideas then.
I like the idea of switching papers and have the students grade each others assignments. I am going to try to have the students take their tests using an electronic format and have the final 2-3 questions as SA questions which we can grade and discuss as a class.
I have no control over exams, and the student is assigned little to no homework, but what I did gather from this section is managing the lab time better.. I tend to assign the time according to what I expect it to take, a habit from the work field, and i should alot more than that time to allow for those less compitant, thus reducing overall stress in the classroom.
My homework is purely for the student to gain knowledge, not to mark them right or wrong. I like to give my students the opportunity to answer a question, even with the wrong answer and not worry about getting a bad grade.
My exams are made depending on class size and the topic being discussed. If it is a larger class there will definitely not be any essay or short answer and if it is a smaller class there could be essay or short answer. I also find that students want immediate results so I do offer them the opportunity to grade in class if they want to. I do, however, offer them the option of just handing their test paper in and letting me grade it if they are not comfortable with a group grade exercise.
i teach in a technical school, and we have tests that are mandated by the school.
Grade some labs 2 at a time
I like your approach of complimenting tests with diagrams Angelina. Diagrams really provide great context.
I use multiple choice tests taken from an Exam Generator program, companion to our text book.I also complement these tests with diagrams.The tests are a breeze to grade .After the tests are being graded they are returned to student so we can discussed the answers that they missed
Sounds like a challenge Isaac and you are not alone. Many instructors these days are finding that their class sizes are growing and growing. We need to develop teaching and grading techniques to deal with these changes.
When I first started teaching and had a small class, eassy questions I liked but when the classes started getting larger, they were not the best option for me. I had to change the way I was doing the tests so now, i make them multiple choice and I make them challanging. I want the students to use their thinking skills to answer the questions. When it comes time to grade, I keep a master copy. I goes by quick.
I teach online, and our course materials are preselected and prepopulated, which gives me little leeway in regards to the format of my assignments and assessments. However, I have tried to streamline my grading process as much as possible by typing each text book assignment into a Word document. I set up the document in a way that makes it easy for me to locate the answers, and I ask students to use my document for their assignments. While this process took a long time for me to complete at the onset, it has saved me an incredible amount of time while grading because it eliminates the possibility of students submitting the wrong assignment, submitting answers incorrectly, and submitting files from other programs. It also saves time for the students: the word processing and formatting component has been done by me, so they can focus solely on the course material.
Do check out the east test maker online Aaron. These kinds of tools are great at helping instructors diversify their question sets. Sometimes it's just nice to bring in fresh ideas on exam questions and a little fresh thinking.
