Tag: Tools

  • Grading Accuracy with Automated Tools

    Grading Accuracy with Automated Tools

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    Why Accuracy in Exam Grading is Essential?

    As the Controller of Examinations, you know how important it is to give correct grades and conduct error free exam results. When grades really show how well a student did, trust grows among students, parents, teachers, and accreditation groups. Fair and accurate grading has a big effect on many things, from the motivation of students to the image of your HEI.

    But let’s be honest: Manual exam results management isn’t easy. Stress, working long hours, and having to meet tight targets can all cause mistakes. It’s hard to keep people from making mistakes, whether it’s a simple math error, bias, or getting tired in the last few miles. These errors not only add more work but can also make it harder to trust the graders.

    These are the times when tools can actually benefit you! By ruling out mundane chores, they can free you up to ensure that your institution’s examination procedures are up to par and flawless.

     

    How to Reduce Human Errors in Exam Grading with Automated Tools? Top 9 Ways for Error Free Exam Results

     

     

    1. Software-assisted scanning of Answer Sheets

    OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a software application in modern-day exam management systems that instantly reads and digitizes handwritten responses. It eliminates the necessity for laborious reading by scanning answer sheets and converting them to digital text.

    Why It’s a Win?

    Streamlined Processing: OCR automates the process, thereby reducing the number of hours necessary for manual labor.

    Data Entry Reliability: OCR eliminates errors that result from manual inputs, ensuring that your data is accurate and uncontaminated.

     

    2. Integration of AI-Powered Grading Systems

    It’s not necessary to guess when AI can do it for you when it comes to exam results management. Adding AI grading to your exam software makes sure that essays and open-ended answers are graded correctly. The AI will learn from your patterns and use consistent grading.

    Why It’s a Win?

    Fair Evaluation: AI gets rid of bias so that results are fair for everyone.

    Consistent Results: The grades are always the same, no matter how many people grade them.

     

    3. Embrace Digital Rubric-Based Grading

    Think about a way to grade where everyone follows the same rules. All of this is possible with digital rubrics within the exam results management! You can be sure that every answer will be scored the same way by setting clear criteria for scoring. No more guessing or interpreting things in your own way; just a clear review.

    Why This Matters?

    Consistency is Key: With digital rubrics, you eliminate variability in scoring, so every student’s work is assessed fairly and uniformly.

    Transparent Criteria: Students know exactly what’s expected, making the grading process clearer and more transparent.

    Using digital rubrics isn’t just about grading; it’s about fostering an environment of fairness and clarity. Want to see how this can enhance your examination process? Let’s move on to the next strategy!

     

    4. Leverage Auto-Verification of Scores

    Imagine that you’re about to give out grades, and a tool checks right away to see if there are any mistakes. Auto-verification methods within the exam results management make sure of that! Cross-checking scores instantly makes sure that everything adds up and points out any problems before grades are finalized.

    Why This Matters?

    Resolve Mistakes Promptly: This preventative method will save you from humiliating slip-ups by rapidly identifying any discrepancies in totals or unusual variances in scores.

    Becoming Stress-Free, 100%: You can rest assured that the final grades and transcripts are perfectly accurate because your scores have been automatically validated.

    Using auto-verification in your marking process will not only speed up the process, but it will also make sure that the results are accurate.

     

    5. Embrace Cloud-Based Grading Platforms

    Imagine a system whereby students may check their initial marks as soon as they become available and mark any disparities. This certainly adds to your team’s efforts for error free exam results! Systems of real-time feedback enable students to participate actively in their grading process.

    The reason this matters is;

    Early Error Detection: By letting students check their marks immediately, possible errors can be found and corrected early on, therefore reducing later on uncertainty.

    Improved Transparency: This open approach makes students feel more involved and faculty can guarantee grading accuracy.

     

    6. Implement Real-Time Feedback Mechanisms

    Let students evaluate their initial grades and indicate any possible mistakes; it changes everything. This method not only keeps students updated but also gives them opportunity to take responsibility for their academic path.

    The reason this matters is;

    Early Error Identification: Early on when students can view their grades as soon as they are accessible, they will be able to rapidly find any differences, so facilitating error correction before final results are locked in.

    Improved Transparency: By means of this open channel of contact, teachers and students build confidence that guarantees everyone agrees on grading results.

     

    7. Utilize Pre-Configured Exam Templates

    Using pre-configured test forms will transform the grading process. Standardizing question forms and grading criteria helps you to make sure every evaluation supports your learning objectives.

    Why it’s a Win?

    Clear, Sketched-Out Goals: Templates make it easier to understand questions and standards for grading without getting them wrong.

    Consistent Grading: Using standardized criteria makes sure that all tests are fair and accurate.

     

    8. Embrace Digital Exam Submission and Evaluation

    Encouraging digital submissions can revolutionize your grading process. The risk of errors associated with physical handling and transcription is substantially reduced by transitioning from traditional paper-based exams.

    Why it’s a Win?

    Reduces Physical Errors: Digital submissions eradicate the possibility of misplacing exam sheets or losing papers during collection, guaranteeing that each submission is properly recorded.

    Simplifies Grading: Since everything is now digital, grading is much faster and easier, which is especially helpful when there are a lot of tests to grade.

    Allows Easy Access: Teachers can see comments from anywhere, which makes it easier to run tests while they’re out and about.

     

    9. Integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS)

    The bestest way to make grading painless is to integrate your automatic grading tools with the Learning Management Systems you use! Thanks to this connectivity, data may flow freely, simplifying the process of precisely recording and analyzing grades. 

    Why it’s a Win?

    Directly transfer grades from the grading tool to the learning management system (LMS), hence eliminating the need for manual data entry. This simplifies the process of recording grades.

    Reduces the likelihood of mismatches and discrepancies in grade reporting, so ensuring that students obtain accurate evaluations thanks to the reduction in the number of errors.

    The enhanced reporting capabilities found in the learning management system (LMS) provide insights into student performance trends, which helps faculty make informed decisions.

     

    Wrapping up: Improve Your Grade Game

    About ready to improve grading accuracy? The revolutionary is automation. From digital criteria and real-time feedback to AI-powered grading, these tools reduce mistakes and save valuable time, therefore guaranteeing fair and consistent assessments.

    All of this is done on a single, powerful platform by Creatrix Campus Exam Management Solutions. Make it easier to grade, work together, and keep your info safe. Find out how Creatrix Campus can make taking tests easier and help you get perfect scores. Contact our team to figure out how we have been assisting institutions deliver error free exam results.

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  • 2024 Top Tools for Learning Votes – Teaching in Higher Ed

    2024 Top Tools for Learning Votes – Teaching in Higher Ed

    Each year, I look forward to reviewing the results of Jane Hart’s Top 100 Tools for Learning and to submitting my votes for a personal Top Tools for Learning list. I haven’t quite been writing up my list every single year (missed 2020 and 2023), but I did submit a top 10 list in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. I avoid looking at the prior year’s lists until I have identified my votes for current year.

    My 2024 Top Tools for Learning

    Below are my top 10 Tools for Learning for 2024. The biggest change in my learning tools involves using social media less, most specifically that service that used to have an association with a blue bird and can most closely be associated with a cesspool these days.

    Overcast

    This podcast catcher is a daily part of my life and learning. Overcast has key features like smart speed and voice boost, which you can have for free with some non-intrusive ad placements, or pay a small fee for a pro subscription and have them hidden from view. Overcast received a major design overhaul in March of 2022, which led me to reorganize my podcast playlists to take full advantage of the new features.

    Unread

    While Overcast is for the spoken word, Unread is primarily for written pieces. Powered by real simple syndication (RSS), Unread presents me headlines of unread stories across all sorts of categories, which I can tap (on my iPad) to read, or scroll past to automatically mark as read. I use Unread in conjunction with Inoreader, which is a robust RSS aggregator that can either be used as an RSS reader, as well, or can be used in conjunction with an RSS reader, such as Unread.

    LinkedIn

    The biggest change from prior year’s surveys has to do with social media. The bird app just isn’t like it used to be. I’ve found most of my professional learning via social media takes place on LinkedIn these days. If you’re on LinkedIn, please follow me and the Teaching in Higher Ed page.

    YouTube

    Once I found out that I could subscribe to new YouTube videos on my RSS reader, Inoreader, it changed how often I watch YouTube videos. That, plus subscribing to YouTube Premium, which means we get ad-free viewing as a family, makes me spending a lot more time with YouTube. I even have my own YouTube channel, which I occasionally post videos on, most recently about my course redesign and use of LiaScript.

    Loom

    The expression tells us that it is better to show than tell in many contexts. Loom is a simple screen casting tool. Record what’s on your screen (with or without your face included via your web cam) and as soon as you press stop, there’s a link that automatically gets copied to your computer’s clipboard which is now ready to paste anywhere you want. I use Loom for simple explanations, to have asynchronous conversations with colleagues and students, to record how-to videos, and to invite students to share what they’re learning. If you verify your Loom account as an educator, you get the pro features for free.

    Kindle App

    I primarily read digitally and find the Kindle iPad app to be the easiest route for reading. I read more, in total, when I am disciplined about using the Kindle hardware, but wind up grabbing my iPad most nights.

    Readwise

    It is so easy to highlight sections of what I’m reading on the Kindle app and have those highlights sync over to a service called Readwise. The service “makes it easy to revisit and learn from your ebook and article highlights.

    Canva

    My use of the graphic design website Canva has evolved over the years. I started by using it to create graphics and printable signs for classes. Now I also use it to create presentations (which can include embedded content, slides, videos, etc.). For some presentations I’m doing in the coming weeks, I’m experimenting with using Beautiful.ai for my presentations. I still think Canva is great, but am having fun trying something new.

    Raindrop.io

    Probably more than any other app, I use Raindrop on a daily basis. It is a digital bookmarking tool. I wrote about how I use Raindrop in late 2020. I continue to see daily benefits with having such a simple-yet-robust way of making sense of all the information coming at me on a daily basis.

    Craft

    I don’t change my core productivity apps very often. In the case of Craft, once I made the switch, I never looked back. This app has both date-based and topic-based note-taking, as well as individual and collaborative features. From their website: “Craft is where people go to ideate, organize, and share their best work.”

    Those are my top ten for the year, not in any particular order. The first draft of this post had eleven items, since I lost count as I was going. I wind up using Zoom as so much a part of almost every day, it winds up getting forgotten, given its ubiquity in my life. I’m leaving it on this post, even though it takes me over my count of ten.

    Zoom

    I use Zoom so often that one of the years, I entirely left it off of my top ten listing, because it is just always there. Recent enhancements I have grown to appreciate are the built-in timer app, the AI transcripts and summaries, and that you can present slides while people are in breakout rooms.

    Your Turn

    Would you like to submit a vote with your Top Tools for Learning? You can fill out a form, write a blog post, or even share your picks on Twitter. The 2024 voting will continue through Friday, August 30, 2024 and the results will be posted by Monday, September 2, 2024.

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  • 2022 Top Tools for Learning Votes – Teaching in Higher Ed

    2022 Top Tools for Learning Votes – Teaching in Higher Ed

    Each year, I look forward to reviewing the results of Jane Hart’s Top 300 Tools for Learning and to submitting my votes for a personal Top Tools for Learning list. I haven’t quite been writing up my list every single year (missed 2020), but I did submit a top 10 list in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. I haven’t come across too many others’ 2022 Top Tools for Learning votes, yet, but did enjoy reviewing Mike Taylor’s list.

    I avoid looking at the prior year’s lists until I have identified my votes for current year. Once my list was finished for 2022, however, I did compare and realize that I had left Zoom off for this year. Given that I use Zoom pretty much daily for meetings, teaching, speaking engagements, and podcast interviews, I suspect this is one of those things where Zoom has become so integral to my life that it’s become like water that I can’t see because I’m swimming in it.

    Something that I am still looking forward to getting more practice with is a technique shared by Kevin Kelly on Episode 406 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Kevin shared about how to turn a Zoom chat into a useful summary and included a sample summary from an AAEEBL Meetup in the show notes for the episode.

    Another thing I realize as I reflect back on the current and prior years of voting is how much every single tool I use fits into a personal knowledge mastery system, which I have learned so much about from Harold Jarche over decades now. Harold Jarche writes:

    Personal knowledge mastery is a set of processes, individually constructed, to help each of us make sense of our world and work more effectively. PKM keeps us afloat in a sea of information – guided by professional communities and buoyed by social networks.

    PKM is the number one skill set for each of us to make sense of our world, work more effectively, and contribute to society. The PKM framework – Seek > Sense > Share – helps professionals become knowledge catalysts. Today, the best leaders are constant learners.

    Harold was on Episode 213 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, if you would like to learn more about PKM. There is also an entire collection of PKM episodes.

    My 2022 Top Tools for Learning

    Below are my top 10 Tools for Learning for 2022. Jane Hart’s survey methodology has shifted over the years. She now asks us to list each tool and then identify which of three categories we most often use it for: personal learning, workplace learning, or education. Mine overlap quite a bit, within those categories, but I’ve done my best to pick the context in which I use it most often.

    1. Overcast | Personal Learning | PKM-Seek

    This podcast “catcher” app is a daily part of my life and learning. Overcast received a major design overhaul in March of 2022, which led me to reorganize my podcast playlists to take full advantage of the new features. In October of 2021, I wrote up my podcast favorites, in case you’re interested.

    2. Unread | Personal Learning | PKM-Seek

    While Overcast is for the spoken word, Unread is primarily for written pieces. Powered by real simple syndication (RSS), Unread presents me headlines of unread stories across all sorts of categories, which I can tap (on my iPad) to read, or scroll past to automatically mark as read. I use Unread in conjunction with Inoreader, which is a robust RSS aggregator that can either be used as an RSS reader, as well, or can be used in conjunction with an RSS reader, such as Unread.

    On a related note, if you like the idea of information flowing to you (via RSS) versus you having to go find it – and you like to cook – check out the app Mela. I switched to it in the past year and haven’t looked back.

    3. Twitter | Personal Learning | PKM-Seek

    I continue to benefit from a strong personal learning network (PLN), which for me is at its most vibrant on Twitter. Whether it’s for something as simple as getting some good tv/movie recommendations when I am under the weather, or for a deeper and more significant purpose of learning from those in the disability community, I find a tangible benefit with almost every visit. Yes, there are also major problems on social media platforms, including Twitter. But for me, the key has been all in who I follow and how I engage in community with others on Twitter.

    4. Raindrop | Workplace Learning | PKM-Sense

    While the first three tools I mentioned were all about seeking information, Raindrop is all about sense making (in the present and future) for me. It is a digital bookmarking tool. I wrote about how I use Raindrop in late 2020. I continue to see daily benefits with having such a simple-yet-robust way of making sense of all the information coming at me on a daily basis. Raindrop recently added the ability to highlight text on a page you have bookmarked, but I haven’t experimented with that feature much yet. If I want to do something with annotations and highlighting, I tend to gravitate toward Hypothes.is, a social annotation tool.

    5. PollEverywhere | Education | PKM-Sense

    When I started in a professional career in the early 1990s, I used to work for a computer training company. One regular thing that would happen with less-experienced instructors would be them standing at the front of the class, asking if everyone “got it” or was “with them.” As you can imagine, many times people either didn’t realize that they were lost, or they were too embarrassed to admit it.

    Polling tools like PollEverywhere remove the barrier of people not realizing that they don’t understand something, or for those are reluctant to share their confusion publicly. PollEverywhere also has features to support team collaboration, asynchronous and/or synchronous polling, and can integrate with a learning management system (LMS). I primarily use PollEverywhere for formative assessment, allowing people to respond anonymously to the questions being posed. I subscribe to the Present plan, which allows me to have up to 700 people responding at one time on a given poll question. People in an education context who needed to create reports and access archived poll responses would likely need to go with an Individual Instructor premium account, or department/university-wide plan.

    6. Padlet | Education | PKM-Sense

    One of many collaborative tools I enjoy using is Padlet, a virtual cork board. I use Padlet to create a shared vision for a class or a team, to create a crowd-sourced music playlist for an event or class, as a parking lot, and to collectively come up with ways to extend learning. This year for our faculty gathering, we have Padlet boards for virtual collaboration and have also printed out posters (with QR codes that point back to the Padlet boards) that people can respond in person to using sticky notes. I love the blend of the analog and the digital that is possible using this approach.

    7. Loom | Education | PKM-Share

    The past couple of years, Loom has become a part of my daily computing life. It is a simple screen casting tool. Record what’s on your screen (with or without your face included via your web cam) and as soon as you press stop, there’s a link that automatically gets copied to your computer’s clipboard which is now ready to paste anywhere you want. I use Loom for simple explanations, to have asynchronous conversations with colleagues and students, to record how-to videos, and to invite students to share what they’re learning. If you verify your Loom account as an educator, you get the pro features for free.

    8. Canva | Workplace Learning | PKM-Share

    My use of the graphic design website Canva has evolved over the years. I started by using it to create graphics and printable signs for classes. Now I also use it to create presentations (which can include embedded content, slides, videos, etc.). As I just revisited Canva features in writing this past, I discovered even more things I wasn’t even aware that Canva can do.

    I find the pro version worthwhile for both work and for Teaching in Higher Ed, as having the ability to include an entire team of people and have everyone be able to access a brand kit(s) to achieve consistent colors, logos, and other brand assets is a game-changer. We haven’t experimented as much with branded templates or comments and sharing, but there’s so much to benefit from with Canva working collaboratively. The free plan is also quite generous and worth signing up for, even if you don’t wind up upgrading to Pro or Canva for Teams.

    9. WordPress | Workplace Learning | PKM-Share

    The Teaching in Higher Ed website has been on a hosted WordPress site for so long, I can’t even remember where it resided prior to WordPress. My friend and web developer, Naomi Kasa, has helped keep the site beautiful and functional. One of my favorite features of the site is the page Naomi created with all my upcoming and past speaking engagements. It is great having all that information in one place and to see the collection of resources keep growing over time. Take a look at my resources page for a recent speaking engagement and how I embedded a Canva presentation, which includes use of embedded content and video.

    10. Blubrry | Workplace Learning | PKM-Share

    If you are going to have a podcast and you want to efficiently and effectively get it released to the majority of the various podcast players, you are going to need a podcast hosting company. We have used Blubrry for years now and appreciate its reliability, ease of use, and integration with WordPress.

    Your Turn

    Would you like to submit a vote with your Top Tools for Learning? You can fill out a form, write a blog post, or even share your picks on Twitter. The 2022 voting will continue through Thursday, August 25 and the results will be posted by Tuesday, August 30, 2022.



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