Paper or online? A comparison of exam grading techniques

Yingjun Cao, Leo Porter, Soohyun Nam Liao, Rick Ord

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

As computer science enrollments continue to surge, exam grading requires significant instructional resources. Online grading platforms have been developed in recent years and have been adopted at a number of institutions; however, their effectiveness compared with traditional grading on paper is not fully known. This study is the first in CS to compare online and paper grading. Comparing overall time to grade, including all factors, online grading doesn’t show a consistent advantage compared with paper grading. We observed that online grading is much faster during the actual grading phase, but some of this benefit is offset by the additional overhead prior to grading (e.g., scanning) for online grading. Examining student and grader preferences based on feedback, both groups show a strong preference for the online format, predominately due to the convenience of the online platform. Graders report being able to grade more accurately online with the ability to modify rubrics, but that grading on paper tends to result in more social interactions among graders.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationITiCSE 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages99-104
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781450363013
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2 2019
Event2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2019 - Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Duration: Jul 15 2019Jul 17 2019

Publication series

NameAnnual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE
ISSN (Print)1942-647X

Conference

Conference2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityAberdeen
Period7/15/197/17/19

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Management of Technology and Innovation
  • Education

Keywords

  • Assessment
  • Exam Grading
  • Online Grading System

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