Grading Feedback

In a 2009 survey of Chemeketa Online students, the timeliness and quality of instructors’ grading feedback was rated a top priority—and for good reason! The feedback we provide students when we grade their work not only helps them track their progress in a class; it also helps form their understanding of course concepts.

The eLearn system provides several possibilities for grading and providing feedback on student work:

The Gradebook
Grading Forms
Assignment Dropboxes (comment boxes and attachments)
The e-mail Tool

Some best practices for grading student work in online classes are . . .

Include gradable items in your classes early and often
Assign points to everything you want students to do (students don’t often opt for “optional” learning activities)
Let students know how long it will take to grade and return assignments
Provide detailed rubrics
Use “Track Changes” in Word, or format your comments in a different font color or weight
Use “macro” programs (such as Shortkeys Lite) to make the grading process more efficient and to make your feedback more detailed