class: middle, centre background-image: url(marking.jpg) background-size: cover .bigtext[Induction Session for Maths Markers] --- # Outline * Ethos and Expectations * Lecturer responsibilities * Aims of Effective Feedback * Marking Conventions * Recording marks and communicating with lecturers --- # Ethos and Expectations * Department will * Provide students with a research-led education in mathematics, training them as part of a community of professional practice. * Provide opportunities for students to develop further their general skills in communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and the ability to work independently. --- # Ethos and Expectations * Students will * Engage actively with the learning opportunities provided for them. * Take responsibility for their own learning, working to understand material through independent study and practicing skills through assigned exercises. --- # Lecturer responsibilities * Lecturer makes it clear to markers when and where assignments are to be collected (**Gradescope via Ultra**) * Lecturer provides markers with **questions** and **solutions** * Lecturer makes sure you are enrolled in Ultra * Lecturer provides markscheme on Gradescope (possibly also rubric, but you can add more) * Lecturer should make clear the marking deadline (1 week after submission - **keep to this!**) * Lecturer uploads marks to records (semi-automated, instructions will be given) --- # Aims of Feedback * To identify strengths and weaknesses in students' understanding * To give the student a clear picture of how they are coping with the course * To rectify misconceptions by correcting errors * To deepen and broaden the student's understanding of the material (alternative approaches, added insights) * To improve the student's skills in **presenting mathematics** (notation, layout, clarity, efficiency). Act early and set a standard! --- # Effective Feedback Correct solutions often require the least feedback. But even then: * Encourage with much praise * Suggest improvements in presentation or proof, or add insight to a correct solution * NOTE: A solution may still be correct, even if it looks completely different to the lecturer's model solution --- # Effective Feedback Incorrect solutions always require more than a cross. * Indicate where the solution has gone wrong * Indicate enough of the correct idea to enable the student to figure out how to make progress * If the solution to part of a question is missing, suggest how to begin * Do not get fed up writing the same thing on scripts: students tend to trip up at the same points, but the last student you mark deserves the same quality of feedback as the first (much easier on Gradescope via rubric) --- # Effective Feedback * It goes without saying: * **Never ever ever ever be insulting!** --- # Marking Conventions (pen) * Mark correct statements with a **tick** * At the end of each section * At important stages of the proof/calculation * Mark incorrect statements with a cross, or a line, or an omission sign (upside down v) * Write explanations / indications of correct proof near the mistake if there's room. Use P.T.O. or arrows and put lengthier statements at the end of script if there is no room elsewhere * Better: write detailed statements on Gradescope (only need to type a comment once and it is then saved and can be reused) --- # Marking Conventions Nice to write a summary at end * "Very good" * "You should practise identifying different types of first order ODE's" * "Calculation basically fine, but presentation rather scrappy" * Any holistic feedback * Click on script and type --- # Marking (for info, this is done for you) * A = 80% - 100% excellent, minimal problems * B = 60% - 80% good, minor problems * C = 40% - 60% pass, serious problems * D = 20% - 40% fail, extremely serious problems * E = 0% - 20% complete failure Note that D,E count as a fail, so think carefully about the C,D borderline. --- # Recording marks * Automatic process to get marks from Gradescope into "records". Lecturer does it (will be given instructions) --- # After marking is complete * The lecturer is "mentor" to UG markers, and checks and provides feedback on marking * The marker can alert the lecturer to particular problems that have been flagged by the assignment ("the students have no grasp of Fourier series") --- # Marking is important * Students want good feedback on how they are doing * Many complaints about quality of feedback * We have not done well in NSS on assessment recently --- # Questions?