{"id":875,"date":"2018-07-02T17:07:26","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T01:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teaching.claremont.edu\/?page_id=875"},"modified":"2023-04-20T22:50:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T22:50:18","slug":"ways-to-ease-your-grading-load-now","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/colleges.claremont.edu\/ctl\/resources\/ctl-created-resources\/ways-to-ease-your-grading-load-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Ease Your Grading Load Now!"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Ease Your Grading Load NOW! <\/strong><\/h2>\n

(No Matter When \u201cNow\u201d Might Be)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Does this sound familiar?\u00a0A stack of exams sits in front of you and, although the great outdoors beckons, you know that you will be at your computer, inside, with gallons of coffee until this overwhelming task is done.\u00a0Sigh.<\/p>\n

Well, if that scenario does sound familiar, you aren\u2019t alone!\u00a0 Anyone who has taught a graded course has likely felt the frustration of a never-ending pile of papers or the misery of passing up on a fun weekend with friends just to keep up with exams and quizzes.\u00a0 The good news is there are some things you can do now to ease your grading frustrations, no matter when \u201cnow\u201d might be. Consider:
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\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
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\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS BEFORE THE SEMESTER BEGINS:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Well done!\u00a0 You can save yourself a ton of grading headaches later with some<\/p>\n

advanced planning.\u00a0 For example, try\u00a0scaffolding large semester assignments to include due dates\u00a0<\/strong>throughout the term\u00a0<\/strong>when you build your syllabus. It may seem counter-intuitive that more due dates will decrease your grading load, but it really works [1]<\/a>! Your students will have more chances to work on and master a particular skill (like disciplinary writing) if you give them more chances. More importantly you will not need to grade as much (like a whole 20-page lab report) when the work is finally due because you will have seen pieces of it all along.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS WHEN YOU ARE THINKING OF MAKING AN ASSIGNMENT SHEET:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Awesome! \u00a0It\u2019s an easy way to add transparency to your class experience! \u00a0If you\u2019ve never made an\u00a0assignment sheet\u00a0<\/strong>for your students, you can see examples\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0 Pass the assignment out in class and post it to your LMS. After that be sure to discuss the assignment in class to clarify any assumptions (on their part or yours).\u00a0 Yes, it takes a few precious class minutes but trust that it will save you endless time in emails and office visits later; PLUS, it will help your students focus their efforts on what you deem most important \u2013 again, saving you grading time in the long run. It can be worth talking about understanding assignment sheets in general as this can help students think of questions they can\/should ask about your assignments. This can be done with a \u201cWhat I know, What I think I know, What I want to know chart.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can see an example of this chart\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS RIGHT BEFORE YOU DISCUSS AN ASSIGNMENT IN CLASS:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Fantastic!\u00a0 Thinking in advance about your goals for the assignment and talking with students about those goals is a sure way to improve your grading experience later. \u00a0First, you\u2019ll want to sit for a minute and\u00a0think about why you are assigning\u00a0<\/strong>that project, paper, lab report, quiz, presentation, or what-have-you. Write your goals down.\u00a0 (Friendly advice: if your answer is \u201cbecause I wrote papers in college, too,\u201d you may want to think a little bit more. Let\u2019s not do unto others just because it was done unto us!)<\/p>\n

Once you have a clear sense of your goals for the assignment, and write those down, you will have an easier time\u00a0grading student progress toward those goals<\/strong>.\u00a0 In other words, setting goals or establishing outcomes for your assignment liberates you from having to grade everything! So, for example, if this problem set is designed to help students practice a certain concept, you can and should only be grading for student progress on that concept.\u00a0 Think how much time you\u2019ll save!<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS AFTER YOU\u2019VE PASSED OUT AN ASSIGNMENT SHEET OR DISCUSSED AN ASSIGNMENT IN CLASS:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Wonderful!\u00a0 You\u2019ve already set your students up to be more successful and ease your grading load.\u00a0 But how about going one step further?\u00a0 You could\u00a0create the grading rubric together with your students<\/strong>.\u00a0 A sure-fire way to find out if your students are understanding your assignment is to ask them to tell you what is going to be most important for success.\u00a0 Have them build a checklist, or divvy up the available points you\u2019ve allocated, or re-write the assignment sheet with annotations for their sense of the relative value of each assignment goal.\u00a0 Discuss the rubric in class until there is consensus (including your input) and then\u00a0use that grading rubric\u00a0<\/strong>when the assignments arrive.\u00a0 You just saved yourself a ton of time!<\/p>\n

Look at sample assignments together (either from your own early writing and\/or from previous students). This is a great way to see what students are keying in on. You can also apply the rubric you created to sample assignments so students get a better understanding of both the rubric and assignment itself. Be prepared, though, students are often far tougher on the sample assignments than you ever would be.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS AFTER STUDENTS HAVE STARTED WORKING ON YOUR ASSIGNMENT:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Once students have started working on the assignment, you may also want to\u00a0try Five-Minute\u00a0<\/strong>Fixes<\/strong>. At the beginning of several classes after the assignment is announced, take five minutes to discuss one aspect of the work and allow students to self- or peer-correct.\u00a0For example, if your students have a big presentation coming up in few weeks, take five minutes at the beginning of class today talk about the importance of a lively introduction and to have them peer-review each other\u2019s introductory paragraphs.\u00a0 Not only does this encourage students to prepare well in advance of the deadline, it gives them necessary practice in a low-stakes environment which can lead to improved performance later.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS AFTER A QUIZ OR OTHER LOW-STAKES IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Great! You\u2019ve got a real chance to be transparent about how grading works.\u00a0 One common complaint among students is that our grading is capricious.\u00a0If you\u00a0allow students to self-grade quizzes\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0revisit and resubmit individual quiz answers after a group discussion,\u00a0<\/strong>they are more likely to see how we agonize over \u201csorta right\u201d answers or determine the number of points they receive.\u00a0 There is also really good evidence that students who discuss quiz answers in groups are more likely to understand the material when they leave the classroom and isn\u2019t that the ultimate goal?<\/p>\n

For low-stakes assignments other than quizzes, consider\u00a0alternatives to points or percentage grading<\/strong>.\u00a0 For example, you may decide to grade on a straight Pass \/ Fail for a journal entry or daily class discussion.\u00a0 Or, you might decide to\u00a0elicit peer feedback\u00a0<\/strong>on an early draft of a paper or lab report, rather than \u201cgrading\u201d all of them yourself.\u00a0 In either case, make sure you explain\u00a0why<\/em>this is the right type of feedback for the assignment at this moment.\u00a0 \u00a0Students who have spent their whole lives getting grades for every little thing will need some assurance that their work still matters and contributes to their learning down the road.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS THE HORRIBLE MOMENT WHEN THAT MASSIVE STACK OF ASSIGNMENTS ISN\u2019T GETTING ANY SMALLER:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

It\u2019s OK!\u00a0 There are several things you can do to save your sanity (and maybe your weekend!) even if you haven\u2019t had a chance to do any of the above.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set a timer<\/strong>: Yes, we want to help our students improve at all the things, but that is not realistic. Frankly, it\u2019s also a little bit absurd as we are only one instructor in their entire educational experience.\u00a0 Instead, I invite you to think about three or four things you really want to give feedback on.\u00a0 Write those things down next to your stack of assignments and commit, in the 3-5 minutes you give yourself on the timer, to\u00a0only\u00a0<\/em>comment on those things. \u00a0There will be time for other comments later \u2014 I promise.<\/li>\n
  2. Use voice feedback<\/strong>: Many of us talk faster than we write or type, and audio feedback can actually be more productive for student learning because it allows us to express tone. On written assignments, you can add a voice notation in Word or PDF that expresses your main thoughts on the student\u2019s performance.\u00a0 Or, you might consider offering feedback office hours wherein students get their grades only if they come to see you and discuss their work.\u00a0Then you are essentially only grading one assignment at a time, in your already-scheduled office hours,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>getting a chance to see your students one-on-one.<\/li>\n
  3. Use Copy-Past-Adapt:\u00a0<\/strong>This technique is a life saver! Create a google doc or word file with common issues and your likely response.\u00a0 For example, you might write down \u201cYour citations here and in the subsequent paragraph don\u2019t match current APA style suggestions.\u00a0 Please visit https:\/\/owl.english.purdue.edu\/owl\/resource\/560\/10\/ to learn more and correct your inconsistencies.\u201d Then, when you come to an instance of that issue in a student\u2019s paper, simply copy-paste-adapt as needed.<\/li>\n
  4. Don\u2019t give feedback (SOMETIMES):\u00a0<\/strong>Feedback, when received and understood, has incredible potential to improve student learning.\u00a0 But, we all know that there are times when students ignore all our carefully curated suggestions and advice.\u00a0 The end of the semester is one of those times!\u00a0 Consider NOT giving feedback on final papers or exams, but only if you offer students the option to come to your office (next semester) and chat with you about why they scored as they did.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n
    \r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n AND FINALLY, IF \u201cNOW\u201d IS AFTER THE SEMESTER IS OVER AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE THINGS YOU ALREADY GRADED:<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n

    Brilliant!\u00a0 You are assessing student learning and preparing to improve your outcomes for the next group of students in this course.\u00a0 Take a few moments to look over your goals for the assignment or course.\u00a0 How did students perform overall?\u00a0 On what aspects of the work were students most successful, and where did they struggle?\u00a0What should be adjusted to improve student learning next time?\u00a0\u00a0Write your thoughts on the syllabus and \/ or assignment sheet\u00a0<\/strong>so that when you next teach the course you are ready to go!<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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(No Matter When \u201cNow\u201d Might Be) Does this sound familiar?\u00a0A stack of exams sits in front of you and, although the great outdoors beckons, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":0,"parent":870,"menu_order":40,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"class_list":["post-875","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWays to Ease Your Grading Load Now! - The Claremont Colleges Center for Teaching and Learning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ways to Ease Your Grading Load Now! - The Claremont Colleges Center for Teaching and Learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  Ease Your Grading Load NOW! 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