We dont assighn home work at this point and the exams are multiple choice. The challenge is with the lab sheets. Alot of the instructors wait untill the end of the course before they are graded. I have found that if you grade labs on the same day you dont have a back log at the end of the course. You can also let the students see what they are doing corectly and coach them on the ones that are not.
I teach online and the curriculum is already set but if I were to change them I would set it up so that all assessments were automatically graded and the instructions for the homework assignments were more specific (i.e. the essay should be 1 page in length, all work should be proofread for spelling and grammatical errors, references should be cited,there should be a warning about plagarism, all attachments should end in a rtf or doc extension, etc). I believe this would help reduce the number of assignments I send back for editing. I would also not procrastinate in grading them and set a certain time aside every day to accomplish this.
Excellent to hear Mike! Yes, those instructors who have been teaching for a long time often experience the benefits of years of streamlining. Those who are new struggle. You might reach out to new faculty members and see what you can do to help them.
I have been teaching and grading exams for almost ten years, and I think that I have successfully streamlined my method for efficient and effective grading of my students' assignments. I rely upon multiple choice, true false, fill in the blank, and concise short answer formats so that I am able to use an instructor test "key" for fast and accurate grading.
I like to grade the exams with the students so they can learn where they fell short. I also like the idea of the student underlining the important points of the essays
The online test software seems like an interesting tool. I will experiment with the easy test maker.
Thanks for the tip
Excellent to hear Betsy! So glad you found this module helpful. Yes, the underline method works wonders for me and I'm sure it will benefit you too!
I will absolutely use the underline method for my essay questions. I already look for key words and phrases, but this simple method is an excellent idea, and a great improvement.
I would agree. Student participation helps with engagement.
I will utilize the system of underlining the important content within the answer of an essay or short answer question. Also, I will ensure that the homework only has the answers as opposed to all of the answers written out and answered in complete sentences.
Because of the nature of the course that I teach, I use mostly multiple choice questions, however I think that using the scantron will help speed up the grading of the exams.
I don't think these tests take very long to grade, as the test is based on presentation rather than an actual paper test.
I love the idea of having the students grade one another's homework. This would be a big time saver for me as well as a teaching opportunity as I would be able to go over the method in which the correct answer is obtained while solving the problems.
In the futur, short answer exams and multiple choices or true/false question formats will behelpfull with streamlining the garding process
I agree Connal. We must make sure student needs are met first and foremost. Then, we can focus on efficiencies. One of the great things about streamlining grading is how much it benefits our students. When we save time, we are more free to spend time meeting student needs.
Wow, excellent to hear Sherri! It's wonderful when the investments we make creating efficiencies for ourselves pay off for others too. I like the way you surveyed your students to learn more about their experience. It's so important to get feedback when we can.
I recently started using a table grid which is working out great. All the answer lines line up and it saves alot of paper. I even surveyed the students and they like the format--they don't feel that it is as overwhelming as a 15 page final exam. Same content--more condensed and easier to grade. Win-win!!!!
Streamlining key words to emphasize concept is very helpful for the student and is an beneficial way for them to understand and learn.
Excellent plan Marie-Christine! Sounds like you'll be incorporating a lot of new things. If this gets overwhelming, it's ok to start small and do just one thing at a time to streamline grading.
I like my short answer exam and will not change it. The assessment should serve the course content and be a fair and useful measure of student learning. The assessment should never be designed to be convenient for the instructor first, useful to the student second. That would be sloppy and unprofessional.
