The one thing I learned in this module is the idea of having students highlight the important parts of their answers in essay exams. I usually include multiple choice exams currently in my classes.
Maryrose, Sounds like great direction. The highlighting method has worked particularly well for me. It not only facilitates my grading, but also facilitates student comprehensiveness when responding to test questions.
Dr. Melissa Read
Andrea, Sounds like a wonderful plan. Leveraging a standardized test bank is a wonderful time saver. Most publishers have these for their texts, so it always pays to check on this when you start teaching a new course or get a new textbook.
Dr. Melissa Read
Syed, Sounds like a great approach. Performance is important, but when students do not attend, they miss building important relationships with fellow students and instructors. So it's critical - for so many professions - to consider both metrics in evaluation.
Dr. Melissa Read
Sometimes it the simple stuff... on my lab sheets for each task there is a section where I want students to write an evaluation of their results I require certain information to be listed there
I will now ask students to underline particular items I am looking for Thus Streamlining the Grading process... This should be a big help.
I already use a type of test generator, however I liked the aspect of how to grade essays. I usually dread correcting them, but now I've learned a new way. I'm defiantly going to encorporate the highlighting method. I feel it wont be so cumbersome to assign and grade essays in the future. I can see this eliminating time from one task to a more pressing item on my "to do list".
I grade them according to their performance and also depend on their attendance
Honestly, I think my exams and homework are formatted pretty appropriately for ease of grading while still "doing their job" of assessing the student's knowledge. I have the students write-out definitions for key terms in chapters and have them number/highlight each key word for quick grading. They also do Chapter Study Guides which are TF, MC, and short answer. I develop my short answer/essay questions such as name, explain, and give an example of 3 ways or 3 types and do NOT require they write in paragraph format (I put a table in the answer section for each required part for quick grading). I use scantron on the TF and MC parts. I do not think I will do much modification in the format of my homework/exams.
Currently, I create individual exams for each of the classes I teach, which is very time consuming. Using the information learned, I will format my exams and assignments with an answer slot to the right of the questions thereby making it easier to grade. In addition, the textbook we currently use have a standardize test bank website that can be edited. I will also utilize this option which will also help to minimize the time I usually spend creating and editing new assignments and exams.
Our exams are all on scantron or have answers sheets for easy grading. However, homework is another story. I am going to use the answer sheet for homework also to see if that speeds up my grading.
Many innovative, time-saving ideas were presented,
some of which I currently employ. I look forward to adding new strategies in the future.
I'll incorporate short essays with underlined words. That's to easy and a big time saver.
I already have students grade quizzes in class. Homework is for their benefit and we go over it in class as a group. I simply walk around the class room to see who actually did the homework in advance and remind the class as a whole that how well they do on exams reflects the amount of time they put into doing homework and reading the chapter in advance. I give multiple choice exams that I grade by hand but never thought to have the students right the correct answer in the margin. I'll give it a try next term.
This module was particularly helpful to me. I reflected a lot on the way I set up my exams and quizzes. Being a composition teacher, I am hard pressed to get away from grading essays, but I did like the idea of having students identify/underline parts within essays to show they understand the components of a good essay. I also think I will revise some of my multiple choice essays so that the answers are all to one side, as opposed to embedded within the question. I also really liked the idea of having students grade each others' quizzes. This could be a huge time saver for me, and could also really enhance their learning if we talk about the answers as a class.
I'm looking forward to applying some of the test templets from online sources and then adjusting them to my specific needs.
I have the advantage of sometimes having smaller classes. That means I can get through the lecture material quicker. Instead of testing just for the sake of testing I will bring in examples for in-class work and we work on the material together. I can measure students understanding of what they have gleaned and I am using real-life examples for them. The students who hate these scenarios usally will have a greater understanding of them and they learn that the scenarios are not so bad after all. Again it is in the smaller classes that I can do this.
Denise, That's a great question. I recommend walking around during proctoring to ensure that no one has their email up or as a task bar on the bottom of the screen. You can make this rule clear in your course syllabus too. Some university libraries also restrict access to email websites. So you might have that working for you too.
Dr. Melissa Read
Serena, Online grading is great. I'm glad you mentioned it. It allows instructors wonderful organization. At the same time, it helps students see their grades faster and often check in on them independently instead of going through you, freeing up your time.
Dr. Melissa Read
I agree. If you find the key word you can overlook all the other "mumbo jumbo" in the answer which in turn results in a faster grading process.
I like "listing" questions for those classes that there is a lot of theory. (What are the 4 things, name 2 etc). I also like the multiple choice format. I try to avoid true and false. My grades are kept on-line and the gradebook rpinted out and submitted to registrat at end of term. Students are also allowed to see their on-line gradebook at mid-term and I discuss with each student how they are doing in the class. The on-line grade book has really simplified my life.
