I like to use essays at times. I never thought to have students underline their important points. I also assume that studens know what is expected of them. It never occured to me to be more specific in the directions. I just let them do their thing. I can be more structured and have clearer and more specific directions. I am so into getting the right answer I don't care how they do it. The I spend too much time trying to find out what they mean. That's a waste of my time too.
Essays can be a big challenge Monte. Over the years, the underlining method has worked well for me. It's amazing because not only does it save you time, it also helps students refine their thinking and produce clear and on target answers.
Indeed true Andrea and I've used this method with much success in the past. We really don't compromise anything with this approach but we gain so much in grading efficiency.
I will prepare my exams earlier to meet deadlines. I will construct examples that are concise, which eliminates time consumption. I will incorporate some of the suggested web sites to make my grading easier.
I like my short answer exam and will not change it. The assessment should serve the course content and be a fair and useful measure of student learning. The assessment should never be designed to be convenient for the instructor first, useful to the student second. That would be sloppy and unprofessional.
Excellent plan Marie-Christine! Sounds like you'll be incorporating a lot of new things. If this gets overwhelming, it's ok to start small and do just one thing at a time to streamline grading.
Streamlining key words to emphasize concept is very helpful for the student and is an beneficial way for them to understand and learn.
I recently started using a table grid which is working out great. All the answer lines line up and it saves alot of paper. I even surveyed the students and they like the format--they don't feel that it is as overwhelming as a 15 page final exam. Same content--more condensed and easier to grade. Win-win!!!!
Wow, excellent to hear Sherri! It's wonderful when the investments we make creating efficiencies for ourselves pay off for others too. I like the way you surveyed your students to learn more about their experience. It's so important to get feedback when we can.
I agree Connal. We must make sure student needs are met first and foremost. Then, we can focus on efficiencies. One of the great things about streamlining grading is how much it benefits our students. When we save time, we are more free to spend time meeting student needs.
In the futur, short answer exams and multiple choices or true/false question formats will behelpfull with streamlining the garding process
I love the idea of having the students grade one another's homework. This would be a big time saver for me as well as a teaching opportunity as I would be able to go over the method in which the correct answer is obtained while solving the problems.
I don't think these tests take very long to grade, as the test is based on presentation rather than an actual paper test.
Because of the nature of the course that I teach, I use mostly multiple choice questions, however I think that using the scantron will help speed up the grading of the exams.
I will utilize the system of underlining the important content within the answer of an essay or short answer question. Also, I will ensure that the homework only has the answers as opposed to all of the answers written out and answered in complete sentences.
I would agree. Student participation helps with engagement.
I will absolutely use the underline method for my essay questions. I already look for key words and phrases, but this simple method is an excellent idea, and a great improvement.
Excellent to hear Betsy! So glad you found this module helpful. Yes, the underline method works wonders for me and I'm sure it will benefit you too!
The online test software seems like an interesting tool. I will experiment with the easy test maker.
Thanks for the tip
I like to grade the exams with the students so they can learn where they fell short. I also like the idea of the student underlining the important points of the essays
