Teaching Continuity for Graduate Teaching Assistants: Assessments
Academic Integrity
Foster appropriate student behaviour by discussing academic integrity with your class and reminding students of their responsibilities for academic integrity.
Fostering consistency in grading
When you are grading as part of a team, there are a number of strategies that can increase the degree of consistency among markers:
- Develop a rubric (see below), checklist, or common set of criteria with the instructor and other markers before you begin. Discuss how you will all use this tool.
- Pick 3-5 random papers/exams from a class set and have each person grade them individually. Then come together (i.e., Set up a Zoom meeting) to compare your grades. These conversations are essential to help calibrate the grading expectations of all markers.
- If you are grading a set of exams, consider having one person mark the same section for all exams.
- A more time-consuming but thorough approach is to double score: each paper is graded by two different people who do not see each other’s scores. If the scores are significantly different, then the paper goes to a third marker to make the final assessment.
If all graders are working independently, encourage individuals to set aside idiosyncratic or challenging papers/exams and bring those to a (virtual) meeting for pair/group assessment.
Developing and using rubrics
A rubric is an assessment tool that describes achievement criteria across a range of components and levels. Rubrics can help with grading consistency, accuracy, and speed. They can also be used for peer feedback and self-assessment.
Ideally students are given the rubric ahead of time and can use it to guide their preparation. But it is not too late to work with your instructor and/or fellow GATs to establish rubrics for upcoming assessments. If you create a rubric in D2L, you can also assess in the D2L site or app.
Examples of discipline-specific rubrics you can share and modify.
Practical advice for graduate student markers
If you have questions about how to approach the task of sitting down to mark a set of assignments or exams – anything from setting realistic timelines to limiting bias – check out this guide from Lakehead University.
Audio and video feedback
Feedback is an essential part of the learning process, but not all feedback needs to be written.
- Veedback involves using video or screencast feedback to students.
- D2L has the capacity to record and attach short video feedback to assignments through the dropbox feature.
Related Content
Teaching Continuity for Graduate Teaching Assistants - Communicating with Students
Teaching Continuity Essentials
Taking care of yourself
We know that GATs are often the first point of contact for students. During this challenging time, you may become aware of students who need extra support.
Mental wellness - If you or a student would like to talk to someone who can listen, support, and help focus on learning and wellness, please reach out to the UCalgary resources. Student mental health support is still available at UCalgary through Student Wellness Services and our community partners. Find what’s right for you.
If you suspect that a student or peer may be in crisis, please contact the Student at Risk Team.
Physical wellness - Please ensure that you are taking appropriate precautions for your own physical health (i.e., hand washing, social distancing, etc.), but also try to maintain healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise despite your changing routine. Even just a walk outside in the fresh air is a positive move! If you do become ill, please let your instructor of record know as soon as possible.
Adjusting to remote learning
Here are some great resources for you and to share with students:
- UCalgary’s Student FAQs
- Study skills and strategies guide for the abrupt changes – an excellent resource from the University of Michigan