As the semester comes to a close, it's crucial to focus on effective grading and feedback practices. Transparent grading helps students understand their academic performance and areas for improvement. Providing constructive feedback fosters a supportive learning environment and encourages student growth in future courses. Keep reading for tips and best practices for grading and feedback.
Strategies for Grading
These concepts are transferable between hybrid and in-person courses.
Start with a rubric!
Why rubrics?
- Transparency - Creating and sharing a rubric with your students makes your expectations clear and transparent. Students know what you want from them in the assignment when they have a rubric.
- Consistency - Using a rubric can make your grading more consistent among all students. If you stick to the rubric components when reviewing assignments you will be more likely to grade fairly and consistently.
- Reduces grade complaints - When students know your expectations and can see what they missed in a rubric, they are less likely to question the grade you assign.
- Clarity - Creating a rubric forces you to think through the criteria for the assignment before you share it with students, providing a better structure and clarity for your students.
- Reduces bias - When you use a rubric for grading, you grade based on the elements in the assignment and not what you know about the student.
Review these Rubric Examples from Edutopia.
Learn to add rubrics to your Canvas course.
Grade Anonymously
When possible, grade assignments with names hidden. This reduces the opportunity for bias. You can hide student names for grading in your Canvas course.
Provide Clear Instructions
When students know what you expect, they do better. Provide as much information as possible so that students can successfully complete the assignment. Share your grading rubric!
Review UTSA Faculty Rights and Responsibilities to ensure you meet all UTSA standards and requirements for grading.
Strategies to Promote Growth Mindset
Allow Multiple Submissions, Retakes or Dropping Lowest Score
Make resubmission a part of the learning process. Provide feedback and give students the opportunity to redo an assignment, retake an exam, or drop a low quiz score.
Offer Learning Resources
Provide students with resources that will help them improve when they miss the mark.
On Exams
- Provide an "unsure" option.
- Use a test wrapper for metacognition. Ask students how and when they studied and what they can do better next time to prepare.
- Use LMS tools to provide instant feedback on exams and quizzes.
Strategies for Effective Feedback
Meaningful and constructive feedback...
- Is returned quickly so that students can work toward improvement right away.
- Enhances critical thinking and reflection.
- Develops better student-faculty relationships.
- Fosters a mindset that feedback and correction lead to learning.
- Increases student motivation because students feel the instructor is interested in their success.
- Shows what they did well and where they can improve.
Tips for Success
Set aside a time each day or week for grading.
Let students know when and how you will provide feedback for each assignment or assessment.
Be kind. Think about how you would feel reading your comment before you share it with the student.
Consider video feedback for a more personal touch.
Consider "Ungrading"
Additional Resources
- How to Give Your Students Better Feedback with Technology (if prompted to login, use your UTSA email)
- Bloom, S.D. (ed). (2020). Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (And What to Do Instead). West Virginia University Press.
Credits:
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