The Learning and Teaching Conference 22 nd April 2015

‘What do they mean by a lack of analysis?’: Using online marking to improve assignment feedback to students Kathryn Mackay and Dr. Vikki McCall School of Applied Social Science

Outline Background –Quality of students’ written work –Clarity of the feedback they receive Using GradeMark and QuickMark Benefits and challenges

Students’ struggles with writing and feedback Poor school experiences: –writing skills –receiving feedback Weaknesses not picked up in previous modules What does ‘need more analysis’ mean? (Foote, Quinney & Taylor 2013) Often those who need most support avoid essay feedback sessions: anxiety? embarrassment? past coping mechanisms?

Using GradeMark Different elements/different combinations for use –Quickmarks –General comments –Marking form and marking rubrics –For details go to lunchtime demo Untested: recorded audio feedback Examples: Housing- GradeMark & General Comments Social Work- Marking from/rubric & Quickmarks

Essay title with reg no.

Student names Essay title with reg no

For step by Step guidance on how to use GradeMark see Housing Studies marking guidance. See hand out

Social Work: Grading form/rubric and QuickMarks

Grading rubric Analysis and synthesis 40% Knowledge and understanding 40% Presentation 20% Developmental comments 0%

Benefits Providing examples directly on text Nearly unlimited room for feedback (no handwriting issues) Allows paperless assessment (most of the time) Eases standardisation between co-markers (but guidance needed) Saves post-assessment administration time Essay feedback sessions are easier as examples of strengths and weaknesses already highlighted Gives tutors flexibility: can mark anywhere, any time The output for students and examiners looks professional

Not so good bits and implications Accessibility needs to be evaluated –Visually impairment screen reader technology not compatible Set up time consuming in first year –Plan for this, learn from others’ experiences e.g. late submissions Students can struggle to find feedback –Turnitin guidance not that clear needs to be adapted QuickMark once saved can’t be edited –Make as many comments as generic as possible All submissions (staff view) un-anonimised on release date –Ex. Examiners not allowed to view sample online

Conclusions Using GradeMark has been found to be suitable for different SASS courses The set-up for using GradeMark can take time, your learning as your doing, but is a long-term investment in increasing the quality of feedback Key element of its success: –Consistency between markers –Quality of feedback to students