I usually grade all test by hand even though they are T'F, M/C, problems, and fill-in questions. I feel that if I use these types of test and use a scantron with answers bubbled in instead of answered on the exam itself, that this would save ALOT of time grading exams. I also create a new test every time a new class begins within the course I am teaching. I have found that if tests are kept, they can be reworked quicker than creating new exams from scratch. Assignments can also be done and turned in automatically via e-mail. This helps to get all assignments into one place and makes grading a little easier and more efficient.
I’m interested in checking out easy test maker online. I will likely check it out. I want to have a more diverse question bank for students to answer.
However, most of my testing consists of essays about literature or English. I would like to think that underlining would help, but ultimately the grading of English papers is less terminology (items that can be underlined) and more thought process driven. Or, when teaching English, there is no short cut to grading for grammar and punctuation. However, I have come to learn that when grading English papers, I don’t have to point out each and every error, but tell write that a bullet point list at the end of their paper of items need improvement. I still point out a few errors, but I don’t make all of them any more.
I can see that I am spending too much time grading essay questions! What is a good ratio of essay to m/c quesitons for an entry business class like Intro to Management?
We must balance speed and accuracy in grading Guy. While answer keys are great, if you have slower and yet more effective ways of assessing competency then it's important to invest time in them when you can.
At my school all tests are graded with a key for fast & accurate grading. I (as with the other instructors) also give a hands on lab. With my course it is a computer generated work order that takes a bit of time to grade but is the best way to show compentency.
I too love the instructor-pre-formatted powerpoints Amy. They serve as such a great foundation and then I can build off of them to customize and make them my own.
This does not really apply to me because I teach online. Everything is pre-created by someone else and I just facilitate it. That alone is nice, since I have taught on campus and know the amount of work that goes into prepping for each class. I have to do online seminars once a week, and have found that using instructor-pre-formatted powerpoints and then revamping them for my own use saves time. I download everything I can for the class I will teach if it is new. The use of Share sites has been helpful for things such as these because teachers will share what they have used for their classes. I like that type of teamwork. For grading homework, it took me some time to figure out that creating some templates of feedback and answer keys would save me time. For me, the worst homework time issue is that I grade paragraphs and essays. I still cannot find an effective, quick way of doing this. I mean, I can apply a rubric pretty quickly, but then there is the feedback. Marking errors and leaving comments takes time.
Yes, student grading is a great method Marie. In addition to streamlining grading, it also helps students interact with course material in new ways and facilitates a new kind of learning.
Since we have structured quizes and homework assighment there isn't much you can do with that. We use scantrons for the tests, but I can have the students grade eachothers homework to effectively manage time as these do become tideous.
We do not have home work, but we do have lab grading procedures that can be heavy. I have set up a process of grading the lab sheets in steps. They finish a set of task and then I grade them as they finish. It allows me more time to focus on each student on an individual bases. I have been able to find there weakness faster and I also cut down my work load. I use to grade them all when they finished the entire lab sheet and this made the process seem unbearable long.
Yes, asking students to show their work does make grading easier, especially when student answers are subjective. It's nice to be able to have a little context into how students arrive at their answers.
I already do most of the practices mentioned in this module. I will investigate the online resources at easytestmaker and quizstar to see if I can streamline the tests I give in ground campus classes. Thanks for the suggestions!
Chuck
The vast majority of assignments (homework and exams) in my classes are in essay format and are to be turned in electronically, which causes grading to be very time consuming to say the least. I’ve gotten more efficient at grading over the years, but I think that having students bold, underline, or highlight key parts would make life much easier. This is something that I plan to implement in future classes.
I will break up the final exam questions into homework assignments. By breaking up the assignments into smaller sections, it will lead the student to have to perform all the funtions to be able to answer the final exam questions later.By asking them to show their work, it will be easier to grade if you can see that they follow the correct procedure to arrive at the answer, based on prior assignments.
I use Blackboard (which is a Godsend!) so I only have to modify the due dates and particular assignment bank (a, b, or c bank of questions).
This allows me to issue the essay and use our rubric to search for key concepts. I read the essays for structure, references, and content (about 80% of the grade). The remaining 20% is the depth of the essay in terms of the larger concept. It sounds harder than it is and I can effectively grade 25 papers (without just skimming them) in about 3 hours. The focus is on their time, not my time but I have to have the time to support them.
For the future, I like the key concepts idea (although not allowed in APA). I'll experiment to see if this method works.
Greg
Hi
Grading rubrics are important in the management of the class for both teacher and students academic successes and a student a better evaluation they fearer of a bade grade, for myself I do pup-up quiz at the beginning of the class and practical test at the end, When student know they are going to have a test they are peter prepared and they are study
eric andre
I also use grading rubrics for my classes. When I return an assignment to my students, the grading rubric is stapled to the assignment allowing the student to see where he/she lost points. This is a real time saver becuase it eliminates the questions related to why they received the grade that they did.
Thanks for asking Jennifer. That's a good point. When you teach English, you've got to read lots of essays. Another suggestion for instructors in your situation is to ask the students to write the main points to the side of their essays. These would include the thesis as well as the supporting arguments. In addition to helping you grade faster, this method also helps the student organize their thoughts and ensure that they've fully answered the question.
Well, I teach English Composition, so I really don't have a choice but to read lots and lots (and lots) of essays.
However, I really like the concept introduced here that suggested having the students highlight the most important parts of their papers. I will consider using this technique for essay grading.
Any other suggestions from English teachers??
I really liked the ideas in the course material about using more specific beginnings to questions like Identify, Define, etc. This will definitely lend for more concise answers.
