Improving pedagogical feedback and objective grading

Abstract

It is important for learning that students receive enough of educational feedback of their work. To get the students to be seriously disposed to the feedback it has to be personal, objective and consistent. In large classes ensuring such feedback can be difficult. Grading rubrics are a solution to the objectivity and consistency.ALOHA is an online grading tool based on rubrics which all the graders have to use. Particularly, ALOHA provides features that make the grading process more convenient for the graders and the teacher. By facilitating the graders work ALOHA allows them to focus more on feedback writing.To test the effectiveness of ALOHA in objectivity and consistency we did a comparative statistical analysis on the distribution of grades. The results supported the assumptions showing improvement resulting in similar distribution of grades amongst different graders who used the tool.

Analyzing the use of a rubric-based grading tool

“…Rubrics are designed to solve this problem. In the first evaluation of ALOHA, the effect on achieving this was measured and successfully found to be positive [1]: In this same course, before using ALOHA there was a statistically significant difference between the grades given by a couple of the TAs. That year, the TAs were given a traditional paper rubric.…”

“…To put it short, the following problems have been the basis for the original work, more widely presented in [1]:…”

“…The use of computer-assisted grading rubrics has been shown to help in solving the first two problems [1] and also to improve the speed of assessment [4]. To make the use of rubrics more convenient as well as combining the writing of the feedback to them, we have previously developed a grading tool called ALOHA [2].…”

Rubyric

“…Computer-assisted grading rubrics have proven to improve objectivity and inter-grader consistency of assessment, and to increase the amount and quality of feedback given for students [1]. Our previous Aloha [1] tool achieved these goals but lacked support for building the rubric, managing submissions, and internationalizing the interface.…”

“…Our previous Aloha [1] tool achieved these goals but lacked support for building the rubric, managing submissions, and internationalizing the interface. The usability feedback gained from years of using Aloha led to a development of a completely new tool called Rubyric [2].…”