ISG Completes Evaluation of Gradescope Online Marking Platform

Recent pilot and evaluation recommend Gradescope marking platform for use in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE)

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) recently focused its attention on reviewing inefficiencies in paper-based marking and evaluating alternative digital assessment tools. There have been trials of different tools in some schools in the past which benefited specific departments but have so far not clarified the benefits for a more general use across the College. The Covid pandemic necessitated a quick shift from on campus to online assessments for session 2020/21. In order to support the schools in making this move, the College purchased a one year license for the online marking platform Gradescope in December 2020.

Gradescope has been run as a pilot in six CSE schools: Maths, Engineering, Informatics, Chemistry, Geosciences, Physics and Astronomy.

This project evaluated the effectiveness of Gradescope as a tool for grading digital and paper assessments. Gradescope offers significant advantages over the other tools deployed in May 2020 and the majority of staff are keen to retain these benefits. The majority of staff found that Gradescope was easy to use and either saved time or did not affect the amount of time they spend on marking and marking-related administration. 72.5% of surveyed staff said Gradescope should be retained for use in 2021/22. While Gradescope is not a perfect fit for all the College’s needs, it presents an opportunity to address significant gaps in current digital marking for STEM assessments.

The evaluation report, and recommendation to retain Gradescope, will be part of the business case to the College to support a decision on its future provision.