In at the Deep End - Starting to teach in Higher Education

Table of Contents

1. Welcome
2. Section 1: Learning
3. Section 2: Teaching
4. Section 3: Assessment
   1. Assessment, marking and feedback to students
   2. Summative and formative assessment
   3. Assessment matters to students
   4. The sharp end of learning and teaching
   5. Fit-for-purpose assessment is valid, reliable, transparent and authentic - and manageable!
   6. Beyond exams, essays and reports
   7. Setting questions for essays and exams
   8. Designing marking schemes
   9. Marking students' work
   10. Making the most of feedback to students
   11. Maximising learning payoff through feedback
5. References

Marking students' work

Particularly when you're under pressure to mark a lot of work in a short time (exam scripts or students' assignments), the following suggestions may help you to do so fairly and efficiently:

1. be realistic about what you can do. Put work for marking into manageable bundles. It is less awesome to have ten scripts on your desk and the rest out of sight than to have a large pile threatening you as you work.
2. devise your own system of tackling the marking load. You may prefer to mark a whole script at a time or just Question 1 of every script first. Do what you feel comfortable with, and see what works best for you.
3. avoid halo effects. If you've just marked a brilliant answer, it can be easy to go into the same student's next answer seeing only the good points and passing over the weaknesses. Try to ensure that you mark each answer dispassionately. Conversely, when you look at the next student's answer, you may be over-critical if you've just marked a brilliant one.
4. watch out for prejudices. There will be all sorts of things which you like and dislike about the style and layout of students' work, not to mention handwriting quality in exam and essay scripts. Make sure that each time there is a 'benefit of the doubt' decision to be made it is not influenced by such factors.
5. recognise that your mood can change. Every now and then, check back to work you marked earlier and see whether your generosity has increased or decreased. Be aware of the middle-mark bunching syndrome. As you get tired, it feels safe and easy to give a middle-range mark. Try as far as possible to look at each script afresh.
6. take account of the needs of second markers. If someone else will be double-marking the work, don't make written comments on the scripts themselves to avoid prejudicing the judgement of a second marker (unless of course photocopies have already been made of each script for double marking).
7. School policy. Don't forget to check with the module or programme leader and/or School office what the policy is on marking, second marking and moderating. For example, there will be set standards on the process (for example turnaround times) and possibly particular forms to be used in giving feedback.