Fast track to feedback using rubrics, and more - a case study on using feedback methods for e-

submission

Turnitin, eSubmission & the University

• In June 2012, the University Academic Board agreed that submission for all text based assignments will be made electronically, using Turnitin.

• This will be achieved across the University with a rolling programme of adoption finishing by September 2013

eFeedback?

• Currently the guidelines state that giving students their feedback electronically (eFeedback) is to be encouraged

• So basically it is up to you!

A bit about Turnitin

• If you have used Turnitin you will be familiar with the Originality Report

• Hopefully you’ll also have looked at GradeMark – a feature which Turnitin regularly improves and adds things to

• It has the ability to add inline comments, highlighting and general comments

Is that all there is?

• It also has a feature called Rubrics

Motivation to Change

‘Marking season’

• Looking for a more efficient way to complete:• Marking process• Administration involved with providing grades and

feedback to large number of students

Implementing Change

• Grade Centre > still required a great deal of admin time uploading files for feedback

Added in Rubrics based upon standardised marking criteria

• Switched to Turnitin > started off with annotating on the essay + general comments

Marking Criteria

Qualitative Rubric

Marking criteria saved in Rubric Manager for other modules / cohorts

Marker clicks onto grade for each subsection

Student holds mouse over blue area to see standardised comments

1-F/E 2-D 3-C 4-B 5-A 6-A+

Rubric Manager

Different Types of Assessment

• Students need to submit a page with at least 20 words • Title page - not marked but used to have Tii submission• Or a reference list can be submitted• General comments + Rubrics for providing feedback• Final mark given - Tii used to provide marks

• Essays, exams, poster, oral presentation, OSCEs

Evaluation ~ Tii & Rubrics

• Personal• More efficient ~ reduction in marking time• More specific feedback for students with annotation• Rubrics decreased need to write very much in general

comments

• Students• Small survey done with SurveyMonkey about Rubrics• 90% found feedback easy to find• 80% preferred feedback from Tii compared to Grade Centre

Evaluation ~ Tii

• Lecturers• Small survey of staff who have used Tii (none used Rubrics yet

although 1 person would have liked to)• Decreased marking time compared to paper• Annotating on essay allows for specific, direct feedback

• Practical issues – Difficulty seeing full page on University screen– Some found checking references easier with paper copy– Remains a great deal of admin to get grades into CAMS– Some features of Tii don’t work on tablets

Feedback : audio –v- written

• There is quite a lot of research on the value of audio feedback over written feedback for students

• An article called “Are you listening please?” summarises this and found that students actually seemed to like audio feedback

• This is largely because it has a more ‘familiar’ feel

Audio, Dragon & Turnitin

• Recently Turnitin have introduced the ability to add a short 3 minute which is great but unfortunately not downloadable and can’t be saved by the student (yet!)

• Dragon Naturally Speaking software can be used to ‘talk’ your comments rather than type them in

• Once you have become a DragonMaster it is quite easy

Using Dragon

• First you teach Dragon to understand you• Then you learn some simple commands• It works with just about everything• In Turnitin you could use it for the speech

bubble comments, General Comments or cut and paste from Word which you could save

• Read more about Dragon here

Questions?

• A video of SNM tutor Heather Baid discussing her case study can be found online

• A video for students with instructions on how to find and interpret the Rubrics can be found online

Assessment & Feedback Projects

• Click here - look to left hand side for Strand A, B and C projects

• FASTECH - feedback and assessment for students with technology• FAST - feedback and assessment strategies testing• COLLABORATE - working with employers and students to design assessment

enhanced by the use of digital technologies• iTEAM - integrating technology enhanced assessment methods for the

institutional transformation of student support and self-regulation• eAFFECT - e-Assessment and feedback for effective course transformations• EFFECT - evaluating feedback for for e-learning: centralized tutors• EBEAM - evaluating the benefits of electronic assessment• eFeP - e-feedback evaluation project: an evaluation of spoken and written e-

feedback on language assignments as standard practice

• Click here for eFeP conference presentation called Evaluating assignment e-feedback in higher education (Fernández-Toro and Polisca 2012)

References• Beaumont, C. et al. 2011. Reconceptualising assessment feedback: a key to

improving student learning. Studies in Higher Education 36( 6): 671-687.• Bridge, P. and R. Appleyard. 2008. A comparison of electronic and paper-based

assignment submission and feedback. British Journal of Educational Technology 39 (4): 644-650.

• Budge, K. 2011. A desire for the personal: student perceptions of electronic feedback. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 23 (3): 342-349.

• Lunt, T. and J. Curran. 2010. ‘Are you listening please?’ The advantages of electronic audio feedback compared to written feedback. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 35(7): 759-769.

• Price, M. et al. 2011. If I was going there I wouldn’t start from here: a critical commentary on current assessment practice. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 36 (4): 479-492.

• Rolfe, V. 2011. Can Turnitin be used to provide instant formative feedback? British Journal of Educational Technology 42 (4): 701-710.

• Tong, V.C.H. 2011. Linking summative assessments? Electronic feedback and feedforward in module design. British Journal of Educational Technology 42 (6): E152-E155.