Increasing Objectivity of Essay Scoring

  1. Score blind

    • giving picture = increased average score by 10%


    • remove their names on large scale marking

    • have names on title pages, fold over

    • won't work very well if you get to know their handwriting

  2. Read one question at a time

    • easier to keep track of criteria for each question than for whole test

    • reading one question at a time also means AT THE SAME TIME

    • same day to make sure remember standard, what you decided to give part marks for, etc.

    • at one go is best -- remember different times a day makes a difference

    • One Exception for marking each question separately is if the assignments build, like on English diploma...

  3. Halo effects

    • mark student got on previous question prejudices this one
      - so read all of one question at time and:

      • keep scores of previously marked question out of sight
        -e.g., separate sheet of paper;

      • and shuffle papers after first run through

      Why? to reduce halo effects -- not always after best or worse

  4. Have a policy on irrelevant answers, errors (GLIB)

    • tell students if bluffing will help

    • Mark paper twice

      • lots of work....but

        • avoids gross errors

        • shows you how accurately you mark

      • Or get a colleague to mark papers

        if you have average of two or three marks offsets ideosyncratic scoring

    • Comment on paper

      • tell students why they got the mark, not just grade

      • my biggest failing is that I circle spelling, grammer, corrections but not major part of my scoring, but even though I said at end why got the mark, thought circles were the reason...

      • put checks as well as 'x's