Exemplar of online assessment
Using DSO grading forms to mark assignments
Linda Glassop - School of Management and Marketing
This exemplar describes an online assignment marking process using the Blackboard grading form tool. The process is used in a Management unit taught across a multi-campus cohort of first-year undergraduate students within the Commerce degree.
About the unit
Around 2000 students per year are enrolled in the unit, including on- and off-campus students, students of the Koori Institute, and a partner in Singapore. The assessment of the unit has three components: a critical essay (1000 words - 10%), a case study (3000 words - 30%) and an examination (60%). This exemplar describes the online marking process used for the 1000-word critical essay.
Why we chose to use grading forms
This process was introduced in 2009 with the objectives to:
- eliminate the need to receive, distribute and return hard copy assignments
- capture, store and release feedback and grades automatically
- improve the quality and timeliness of feedback to students
- create an efficient administration process.
We decided to get students to submit their assignments online using the Blackboard assignment tool, and we incorporated the criteria from the 'Researcher Skill Development Framework' developed by a group of academics from the University of Adelaide into a Blackboard grading form and attached it to the assignment. When the assignments were marked using this form both the grade and the completed grading form (with marker comments) were released to students via the DSO site.
The grading form in the Blackboard site (click link to enlarge picture)
Unexpected benefits of using the grading form
The new grading form also gave rise to a range of unexpected benefits. The grading form:
- became a detailed communication device to explain to students what was required to achieve certain grades
- gave students the ability to self-assess their work
- minimised marker error and deviations between markers
- reduced the need for detailed feedback, because the form itself contained essential feedback (as well as eliminating idiosyncratic comments from different markers)
- provided a way for students to compare their self-assessment against the marker's assessment and therefore streamline/minimise requests for remarking
- yielded transparency for students into the marking process.
This was indeed a win-win outcome! The revised process not only eliminated an administration nightmare, but acted to enhance the learning process.
Download Video (50 MB). View transcript.
Note: For information on how to use Blackboard grading forms, see Creating and editing grading forms in Blackboard.
Please send us your comments:
Can you suggest another exemplar of online teaching at Deakin? Comments will be forwarded to the Institute of Teaching and Learning.
