Manuscript with arrow icon Book and magnifying glass icon Cross-check icon Process checklist icon Reputation ribbon icon Graduation cap icon Question speech bubble icon Headset call icon Mobile phone call icon Login arrow icon B+ Paper Icon Becoming B+ Paper Icon Checkmark Paper Icon Feedback Speech Bubble Icon Feedback Double Speech Bubble Icon Similarity Check Icon Professional Development Icon Admin Training Icon Instructor Training Icon Student Training Icon Integrations Icon System Status Icon System Requirements Icon Menu Icon Checkmark Icon Download Icon Rubric Icon Prompt Icon QuickMark Set Icon Lesson Plan Icon Success Story Icon Infographic Icon White Paper Icon White Paper Icon Press Release Icon News Story Icon Event Icon Webcast Icon Video Icon Envelope Icon Plaque Icon Lightbulb Icon Insights Lightbulb Icon Training Icon Search Icon User Icon Privacy Icon Instructor Icon Instructor-1 Icon Investigator Icon Admin Icon Student Icon Voice Grammar Icon Turnitin Logo (Text and Icon) Icon Facebook Icon Twitter Icon LinkedIn Icon Google Plus Icon Lightbulb Icon Binoculars Icon Drama Masks Icon Magnifying Glass Icon Signal Check Indicator Bars Red Flag Icon Analysis and Organization Icon
Contact Sales

With a wide variety of assessment tools available to instructors, it’s more important than ever to have a clear idea of your needs and pedagogical goals as you make your choice. 

Assessment (and subsequently, grading) is an important intersection that can improve student learning outcomes. Feedback is critical to helping students understand next steps, as are rubrics to set expectations and uphold equitable grading practices. Frequent assessments, too, support students throughout the learning journey. These are some of the best assessment practices. 

While few educators would contest these practices, these “ivory tower” concepts don’t always play out in reality when instructors have to make a choice between instruction and grading and, let’s face it, sleep and rest. In sum, even when scheduling low-stakes assessments for students, every assessment is high stakes for the instructor. 

Assessment tools can help instructors streamline grading and save time; but how do they uphold pedagogy? What are key criteria and questions when finding the best grading solution for your students, educators, and institution? How can a solution go beyond saving time grading, but also provide formative learning opportunities that lead to student success?

If you are looking for software that transforms grading into learning, here are some important questions to ask:

  • Does the service simply mark student answers as incorrect or correct, or does it facilitate student growth? It’s important to have a solution that facilitates meaningful feedback loops between students and educators to support the learning process.
  • Does the service accommodate paper exams and enable students and teachers to digitize work? Can students take tests on paper-based exams that can then be assessed in a digital format? Digitized work allows instructors flexibility in grading. It also supports meaningful discussions when both parties have a copy of the work.
  • Does the service provide scoring flexibility for markers that can allow a grading team to work from anywhere at any time? A grading team should not have to work in the same room simultaneously. At the same time, grading teams should work equitably so that marking is fair across the team. A grading solution should provide dynamic rubrics so that any changes in grading standards are implemented across the team in real time and across all assessments.
  • Does the service accommodate a wide variety of assessment formats? It’s important to provide a variety of assessment formats throughout a course to highlight different components of learning and to accommodate different learning styles. The solution should be able to accommodate short and long answer questions, essays, programming assignments, as well as multiple-choice questions to accurately measure student understanding of concepts. 
  • Does the service provide data insights (item analysis) into student answers? Knowing what students do and do not know is critical to future exam design. Furthermore, data insights can inform teaching interventions to support students.

At Turnitin, we offer solutions that help instructors save time while grading. Gradescope’s features also enable instructors to design assessments with integrity, enable feedback loops, and provide data insights into student progress. Our tools support the entire end-to-end assessment process at scale.

Learn more about Gradescope