Assessment support

toolbox

Grading Pitfalls 

Reviewing open-ended questions or assignments takes a lot of time and it is strenuous work. You want to do it as well as possible and, above all, reliably. There can be factors that affect reliability imperceptibly and unintentionally and it is good to be alert to this. Some obvious ones are: getting tired and less concentrated or getting irritated or frustrated. Then a break is the best advice. But there are more and less obvious factors that may influence your scoring. Below is a list of common so-called "grading pitfalls". Being aware of the pitfalls, will already help.

Some suggestions to avoid the pitfalls:

• Make sure you don't see students' names. This already avoids a lot of the pitfalls below. 
• Take a break when you get tired or loose your concentration. You can set e.g. an alarmclock to make sure you have your break timely. Reward yourself for all your efforts. An extra tasty lunch, for example. You deserve it.
• If possible, don't review the work of students a whole day long. Divide it over several days, so you don't get bored and exhausted too much. 
• For written tests with open questions: assess work by question and not by test. This provides more focus and therefore often goes a bit faster.
  This is easier when the test is taken digitally via Remindo, for example. You can then select by questions.
• If more assessors are involved: do it together at the same moment in the same room. Then you can discuss when you are not sure about an answer and you can take joint breaks for variety. It also helps to allocate targeted time for review and it is probably more fun doing it together.
• Use a well-developed answer model - with scoring and points for partially correct answers - or rubric. This ensures that you remain consistent in your assessment and stay focused on the key assessment points. Nb. If you make changes in the answer model during the review process, make sure to check previous reviewed work to see whether points should be adapted.
• If you use a rubric, you can use a (digital) rubric form on which you indicate the assessment in points or otherwise directly, with some feedback. Students can download their form later via Canvas. [Example]  NB. In Canvas there is a tool to make rubrics. 
• If you give feedback, you can make "macro's" (standard texts) for common errors. That is also a way to stay consistent. 
• If there are more assessors, compare the results. If the grades differ significantly, find out whether this is explicable, or whether some have judged more strictly or more leniently than others. Make also notes about common mistakes. This is valuable for evaluation purposes. 

Pitfalls

 
* _{Part of this table was originally drawn up by and for the faculty BMS under the name of Jobaids for testing. Used with permission.}