More Tech Tips for Grading.

More Tech tips on grading.

A few weeks ago I gave some tips on how to get a grip on grading. In this blog I am
going to cover some of the new features in Google Classroom that could be a big
help when you are grading things like research papers and  projects. Even if you
don't do these kinds of assignments with your students I think these features can
still be a useful tool for you as well.

Originality Reports

Originality reports is similar to programs like Turn it in that schools and universities
have been using for years. Basically, it takes what students have written and then
searches the internet to see if there are any matches. If there is a match, the
student might want to make changes to their paper before they turn it in. When you
go  to grade the paper you can see the originality report and decide if further
investigation is needed.

This can be a real help in grading, because we have all received papers that are
obviously plagiarized, but then you have to take the time to find the source to
document the violation. With originality reports, the source is provided for you.

Perhaps the best benefit of this feature is that students can see where they need
to make changes before they submit the assignment. This gives them incentive
to submit their own work and frees you up to focus on grading their writing and
content.

To activate originality reports for an assignment simply click the box that says,
"Originality Reports."  For more details watch this video. 

Rubrics

Whenever you are grading assignments that have many components you should
always give students a rubric of some kind. Some teachers will provide checklists,
but a good rubric is better than a checklist because it gives students a clear
understanding of what constitutes acceptable work as well as work that is
above or below expectations.

Rubrics in themselves aren't that difficult or time consuming to make. There are
many rubric generators online that have content areas and descriptors
already created. This content can be copied into the Google Classroom rubric.
Rubrics in Google Classroom can  also be reused for multiple assignments across
classes. So once you have a set of rubrics that you like, you can keep using them
which will save a decent amount of time.

Grading with the rubric is very easy. Once students have submitted work, simple
click on the descriptor for each area of content. Rubrics can be based on point
value or they just be a guide for students. No matter how you choose to use them,
students have a clear understanding how they earned the grade you assign them.

To learn how to set up rubrics in Google Classroom and to find out more, watch
this video. 

If you have already started using these features, 

tell us how they have worked for you in the comments.