Benefits of using a Digital Grading Platform to Evaluate Student Learning

A blog by Manjider Kainth, CEO, Graide

In a nutshell

Putting the “AI” into grAIding to “aid” educators, Graide interfaces with Replay Grading to reduce educator workload. The platform is designed with simplicity in mind. No programming is required. It’s as simple as clicking or drawing regions and typing the relevant feedback.

The benefits are significant.

1. Improved accuracy

Automation ensures accuracy, the cornerstone of assessment. We all know and accept that marking inconsistencies can occur over time. And having more than one marker only increases the likelihood of this. Furthermore, the sheer volume of marking can lead to “clerical errors”. Graide, however, marks in the same way, every single time.

Integrating with leading learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle, provides educators with comprehensive data and analytics on student performance. Using powerful analytic tools, it is able to collate results and help identify patterns or anomalies in students’ performance. That way, problems are spotted early on and addressed promptly, and instructional practice can be later reviewed accordingly.

2. Increased student engagement

Students expect and deserve an assessment which is accurate: i.e. free from subjectivity and human error. They also want detailed quality feedback, to show them the way. Thoughtful, accurate feedback provides the road map for future improvement. Studying without this is like driving blindfolded, with only occasional glimpses of the road to course-correct. Regular, consistent, detailed grading and feedback are fundamental to student learning. They also take time.

Using a grading platform speeds up every stage of the process, from submission, to marking, and feedback. Submission of student work is effectively instantaneous. Gone are the days of handing in work physically, a boon to everyone involved, especially those students with access or mobility issues.

And not having to mark the same type of answer twice speeds up grading for teachers!

In fact, the median grading times were reduced by 74%, and the number of words of feedback given increased by a factor of 7.2, when we compared grading on paper. We also estimated that a university, with 3500 STEM students, using Graide could save over £240,000 a year.

Getting marking off your desk double-quick is always a nice feeling, but it is also fundamental to student learning. For marking and feedback, time is of the essence. It is no good if the student has forgotten or “moved on” in their minds from the assessment. Feedback is far more effective when the work is fresh in their minds, and they are still emotionally involved or committed. University policies commonly stipulate feedback within two to three weeks. As a student, I wanted my work back yesterday!

When students see the immediate feedback given by a digital grading system, they can quickly enjoy successes, identify strengths, and address areas for improvement. They can act quickly, with the help of their teachers, to put things right. Speeding up this process indubitably minimises uncertainty and stress for students.

3. Easier collaboration

Student learning is a team sport, a shared endeavour. If everyone is pulling in the same direction, progress can be swift and that, in turn, can be motivating.

Working with paper scripts can slow down the process, for instance, when there is more than one marker and time is lost waiting for the other one to finish their section. With a grading platform, scripts can be marked in parallel.

Better still, teachers, students, and administrators can review or discuss student projects or assessments in real-time online.