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Why universities need digital grading software now more than ever

Digital grading software describes any program or app that teachers can use to track, assess and monitor student assignments and progress. They are effective at keeping both students and teachers alike up-to-date with assignments and students’ progress.

If the COVID-19 pandemic revealed anything about the education system, our traditional pedagogy methods need improvement. This post will look at why modern instructors would benefit from having digital grading software at their disposal.

Digital grading software helps lighten the load

Information overload affects both students and instructors. Assignments, attendance, test scores, peer reviews are only the beginning of what an instructor is processing at any given moment. Weighing and analyzing all the data involved in assigning grades consumes energy and time you could be using on pedagogy and connecting with your students.

Fortunately, digital grading software can help minimize the steps usually associated with grading, so instructors can regain their time and bandwidth to focus on teaching. Digital grading software like Crowdmark makes it easy to enter grades and scores quickly and effectively. They also make it easy for teachers to provide grade delivery via email, so students can know when an assignment is complete by logging into their computer any time of the day.

Electronic grading software makes information more readily accessible

Staying organized is another challenge that plagues both students and instructors. Even in this digital age, it’s not uncommon for teachers to find themselves staring at tall stacks of papers or thick folders ready to burst.

Fortunately, digital grading software like Crowdmark can help you stay organized and prevent you from being overwhelmed by files. These cloud-based tools allow you to store your data and files so you can access them at any time, anywhere and from any device. It is possible to eliminate the paper clutter that makes organization a challenge.

These tools also help students stay organized – and accountable. With all assignments stored in one centralized hub, they can access items such as projects and feedback 24/7. You and your students will know where to find everything, and the danger of an instructor can minimize the risk of misplacing their work.

Digital assignment submission can provide effective two-way communication

Tools such as email and Zoom, even more since the Covid-19 pandemic, are proven useful for maintaining communication between students and teachers. However, technical constraints can limit communication and feedback.

A digital grading tool, like Crowdmark, provides a happy medium. It is designed solely for student-teacher interaction and communication, meaning that you won’t be competing for real estate in your students’ inboxes.

Digital grading software tightens the feedback loop

One essential benefit of digital grading software is that it offers students and teachers a tighter feedback loop. In a previous post, we mentioned how and why feedback loops are critical in learning.

Ultimately, for a feedback loop to be useful, teachers have to provide fast and actionable feedback, to which students can immediately respond. With software like Crowdmark, students receive feedback and comments with their grades when an instructor finishes grading via an email message. Seeing when an instructor finishes grading an assignment allows students to track their progress better. For example, a student who needs to communicate requests or any other communication between their instructor now has the email time stamp to act quickly and stay motivated.

Be sure to add a digital grading solution to your strategy this year

Remote education is now becoming a mainstay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that means an increased reliance on college grading software and digital tools for all teaching activities. Grading will be no different. In the absence of a physical classroom, it will be harder to engage with students and communicate with them on their performance matters. However, a digital grading tool will eliminate or at least minimize many of the obstacles this new normal will present.

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About Crowdmark

Crowdmark is the world’s premiere online grading and analytics platform, allowing educators to evaluate student assessments more effectively and securely than ever before. On average, educators experience up to a 75% productivity gain, providing students with prompt and formative feedback. This significantly enriches the learning and teaching experience for students and educators by transforming assessment into a dialogue for improvement.