How to mark 100 assignments and
give feedback in an hour
Seb Savory
UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering
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The problem
1
• Engineering mathematics benefits from students
carrying out regular assignments to test their
understanding of lecture material
• Given the cumulative nature of the topics near
instant feedback is desirable, since one needs to
have mastered one topic before progressing to the
next
• In 2007/08, moved from 20% of marks from a midsessional test to 20% of the final mark obtained from
assignments with each assignment worth 2-3% of
final exam
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Possible solutions
2
• Use computer based marking
– Generally needs multiple choice questions
– Not explored, for three reasons
• At present we can only check the final answer, not the method
and explanation/assumptions which often are as important
• We want to encourage the “engineering disciplinarity” which
starts with rough sketch etc.
• When we started it was in 2007 – pre-moodle @ UCL
• Use academics to mark assignment
– Staff time per 0.5CU increased by ~ 300% - not practical
• Use PhD students / postdocs
– Used this from when assignments first introduced in
2007/08, but turnaround is variable (two weeks)
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Proposed solution
• Parallel processing - peer marking
– Get students to mark each others assignments in
lectures
– Can thus provide rapid feedback
• During a lecture the model solutions are
presented by the lecturer, including the mark
scheme and students mark (and also provide
comments), on their peers scripts
3
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Implementation –
1st
iteration (2008/09)
4
• Submission
– Students submit their assignments to departmental office
by a fixed deadline
– Record of submissions noted
• Peer marking (for 5 out of 10 assignments)
– Students collected an assignment (but not their own) at
the start of the lecture
– Incentive to attend: Students required to attend a peer
marking session to get full marks
• Even though students were advised that their marks would be
halved if they failed to attend the peer marking session, some
failed to attend
• Mismatch results in some assignments still needing to be marked
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Implementation –
2nd
iteration (2010/11)
5
• Combine submission deadline and peer marking
(for 5 out of 10 assignments)
– Students arrive for the lecture, then swap with a
neighbour
– Peer markings ensues
– Marked script is returned to the student by the marker
– Student returns marked script to the lecturer
• Script marking checked by lecturer and also
compared to marks for PhD marked assignments
– No variation found to occur
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Implementation –
3rd
iteration (2012/13)
6
• All assignments peer marked
– As per the 2nd iteration, students bring assignments to
lectures and then swap with a neighbour
– Number of assignments reduced to 7 (3 first term and 4
second term, to reduce competition with other work)
– Will review and possibly reduce to 6 next year
• Current arrangement this term (2 lectures per
week)
•
•
•
•
Lecture
Lecture (assignment given)
Lecture
Peer marking
– And then repeats..
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Issues with peer marking
7
• Latecomers can be highly disruptive
– Solution is to have a very clear set of rules
• Students sometimes struggle with marking their
peers work, particularly when it is poorly
presented or contains errors
– This is useful in that it highlights to students the
importance of presenting clear solutions
– Often if it contains errors, markers will highlight the error
and what should have been done on the marked script
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“The rules” – emailed the day before..
8
• Name and tutor's name to appears on front page of
stapled solutions (marks deduced for failing to do so)
• Peer marking begins at 1005 precisely. Latecomers
will get zero for all questions which have been peer
marked (essential to avoid disruption of latecomers)
• Failure to attend fail will forfeit the marks for the
assignment (with a few exceptions)
– For anticipated absence solutions must be submitted in
advance (either physically or via email)
– A doctors note can be produced for illness
– Newsworthy/catastrophic problems with public transport
which can external be verified via TfL or train websites
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Draconian but necessary
9
• While these rules might seem excessive,
latecomers are so disruptive to the lecture that this
is necessary
– When someone late arrives, I halt the peer marking, then
write on their script the questions for which solutions
have been given out, then continue with the peer marking
– Peer marking session 1: Two latecomers
– Peer marking session 2: No latecomers
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Final thoughts and observations
10
• Assignments encourage students to engage with lecture
material and will work disproportionally hard to get 2-3%
• Submission at peer marking session and swapping with a
neighbour works well
• For peer marking assignments should be short enough to be
marked in 40 minutes, allowing for 5 minutes at the start and
end of a lecture to perform the necessary admin.
• Peer marking encourages attendance at a tutorial session
where students have to sit through seeing ideal solutions
presented, getting feedback within the hour..
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11
Questions