Ask any faculty member what they least like about teaching and – regardless of discipline, class size, or modality – most will say “grading.” Grading is demanding, time-consuming, and sometimes tedious work. Yet grading can provide important insights into our students’ learning. This page shares some strategies and practices to develop, improve, and streamline your grading practice.
Establish and share with students your grading framework
Developing a coherent grading system and sharing information about how you grade can streamline your grading process and provide students with information that can help them succeed.
- Acquaint yourself with existing grading policies in your department and on your campus (UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, UW Seattle), as well as with UW-wide grading policies.
- Create a percentage or point system for your course that accounts for everything you grade (assignments, exams, etc), and set up your Canvas gradebook accordingly.
- Share grading information in the syllabus, including:
- Policies for late and/or missing work
- Policies for requesting an incomplete
- Information about how and when you will deliver feedback on assignments
- Information about how students can ask questions about their grades and the grading process
- Discuss your approach to grading with students. You’ll likely need to share the information more than once.
- Develop rubrics for major assignments and exams. Share them with students as early as possible.
- Orient TAs to grading policies and processes to assure grading consistency.
Alternative Grading
“Alternative grading” is a term used to refer to a spectrum of grading practices that fall outside conventional approaches to grading. These practices typically provide students with more opportunities to demonstrate learning and proficiency, and tend to emphasize feedback over grades and points.
Adopting an alternative approach to grading typically requires an instructor to significantly rethink their instructional approach, so instructors interested in adopting an alternative grading scheme should be sure to begin a course redesign process well in advance of the quarter. For more information on alternative grading practices, visit this useful page from Boise State University.
Develop an equitable grading practice
While most grading involves some degree of subjectivity, the following strategies can reduce bias and make grading more equitable:
- Align assignments, assessments, and grading criteria to measurable learning outcomes/objectives
- Share grading criteria with students in advance in your syllabus and/or in assignment rubrics. Talk with students about how your assignments and grading criteria align with the course learning outcomes.
- Provide consistent and constructive feedback that explains the why behind your grading
- Grade questions in batches. For example, grade all responses to question 1 before moving on to question 2. This can be particularly important when grading short-answer, open-ended or essay responses. Learn how to do this in Canvas.
Manage and submit grades
Keep accurate and thorough records of your evaluation of each student’s performance throughout the quarter (the Canvas Gradebook is a useful tool). Instructors are required to maintain grade records for 5 years after the end of an academic year. These records can help instructors to justify and/or reevaluate a student’s final grade if necessary.
Use GradePage to submit grades
GradePage is the official online grade submission tool for the UW and has been integrated into UW Canvas. Instructors-of-record or assigned grading delegates can view the grade roster and submit grades for course sections during the quarter’s grading period. Instructors must submit final grades using GradePage. Learn more about Gradepage.
What to do if students contest grades
It is not uncommon for students to contest grades, even if the instructor has used rubrics and clearly shared grading policies. A student’s decision to contest a grade is usually driven by concern about their performance in your course, not from a desire for confrontation or to ‘game the system.’ Here are some strategies to navigate a grade contestation:
- Provide clear information about how and when students can reach out to discuss grades
- Take time to assess a student’s request before meeting with them. It can be helpful to have the student submit their request in writing, which will require the student to reflect on and justify their request. This also provides you with documentation should you be asked to explain your decision at a later point.
For more information on UW Grading Policies, please see the UW Policy Directory “Scholastic Regulations”