Marking: Survival Skills

Providing Feedback Oct 2015

Tips for marking_2015

Our TAs have identified strategies for effective grading and means of providing undergraduate students with constructive feedback.

How to prepare for marking?
–       Block out time without distractions
–       Treats: favourite snacks – chocolate
–       Plan your marking over the term
–       Acknowledge your “Alert” time
–       Environment – music?
–       Set goals – with rewards
–       Budget time to learn rubric, calibrate it and scan all possible answers
–       Keep notes on rubric
–       Mark better papers first (remark for consistency)
–       Avoid drifting
–       Mark question by question
–       Double check the first papers marked

How to deal with demanding students?

–       24 hours rule – “cool off”
–       Refer to rubric
–       Be willing to review:
Away from other student
Re-mark in it’s entirety – mark could go up or down
Have them come up with list of concerns and write it down
–       Math mistakes – correct right away
–       Give them perspective on total course grade
–       Ask instructor for help

You always want to give positive types of feedback to students!

 Positive:
–       Balanced
–       Sandwich
–       Informative à improvement
–       Constructive
–       Comment on work not person
–       Be specific
–       Explain Expectations

Negative:
–       Not commenting at all
–       Too much red
–       All negative comments
–       Critical, not constructive
–       One syllable
–       Unprofessional
–       Vague
–       Personal
–       Sarcastic

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