How to Reduce Grading Time

Grading is the bane of every teacher's existence. No teacher decided in their twenties that grading was the thing for them, therefore they should teach. The problem is, we work and teach in a grade-based system that requires the teacher give grades and do so based on evaluation of students work. Online teaching has increased, not decreased, the grading load much to our displeasure.

Here are some steps and teaching strategies to take that reduce your grading time dramatically in face-to-face classes or online teaching.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. ~ Replace some graded assignments with non-graded experiences ~
   
   Grading reduction begins with syllabus design. If you give a one page paper every week you are going to do have to do a lot of grading every week. Go through your syllabus and see how much grading you have assigned yourself. Remember, grades do not equal learning. Try replacing some graded assignments with non-graded experiences students will be inherently motivated to pursue. These can be pass/fail experiences if you have to assign a grade to get them accomplished.

2. ~ Use a detailed rubric for every assignment ~
   
   A detailed rubric creates a more level playing field for students and boundaries off the subjectivity of grading. It will still be subjective, however, it will be guided subjectivity. Further, you can simply staple a copy of a rubric onto the front of the paper and circle the areas that caused a reduction instead of marking on every page. For online teaching you can copy and paste the key elements of the rubric that were best/poorest, add a personal note and hit send.

3. ~ Teach students to grade ~
   
   When students read each others work several things happen. The quality of work (as a whole) often rises out of fear of being embarrassed with shoddy writing. Students learn from other students learning even in online teaching. Students get a feel for how grading actually works, rather than how they think it should work. And, you get support for your grade, especially if you have more than one other student read it. Give each student a rubric and have them circle missing items as well as areas of excellence. Do not allow them to suggest a grade. However, you can have them say whether they think the work is average, above average, or below average work for the class. This increases shared learning in both online teaching and traditional classrooms.

4. ~ Limit your grading time ~
   
   Especially at the end of the semester, your grading time can be limited more than you often make it. Give each paper a certain pre-set time amount and set a timer. For longer assignments put a song on cycle on your MP3 player and with each cycle switch to the next paper.

5. ~ Consider paying assistants ~
   
   Students who have made it through your classes and done exemplary work are often honored to do the dirty work of grading for you. They can mark up the papers and give a suggested grade in pencil that you will adjust or confirm in pen. This saves enormous amounts of grading time and serves as an extension of your teaching to the student assistant. It only works, though, if you are willing to pay. If you are involved in online teaching you will notice this sort of assistance multiplies the number of classes you can teach (making it worth paying the assistant) and gives you more time to engage personally with the students in discussions actually improving your online teaching in the direction of formation.
   
   ** See more tips on grading reduction below **

Tips & Warnings

• Condense your grading into chunks. Grading an entire assignment at once is much more efficient than grading it piecemeal.
• For online teaching, open all of the assignments in separate tabs at once to avoid the wasted time hitting the back button and reloading pages.
• Consider typing your comments. You may type a lot faster (and more legibly) than you write.
• See related articles on this page for more information.