toolbox
Assign grades and ARCHIVE
Comply with regulations
Actually, for this step, the most important recommendation is to check for yourself what the procedures and rules are for awarding, administering, and communicating grades and for archiving examination materials at your programme. Some of the rules will be indicated in the EER and/or the Rules and Guidelines of the Examination Board. Programmes may have additional protocols or provide instructions on a programme website.
Administration of grades
Nowadays, examiners are expected to enter the grades in Osiris themselves. Information about how to do it, can be found here: Osiris Lecturer (grades) | Information about Osiris Lecturer (Grades) | Home EDU systems (utwente.nl)
Archiving
The general rule (EER) is that you retain work made by students (e.g., tests, papers) for at least 2 years. For the test itself, the answer model, and any other relevant materials (specification table, for example), other rules may apply (e.g., a retention period of 6 years). Check with your programme what is expected.
Where something is kept safely can vary from one programme to another. For example, are you expected to keep it in your office in a locked cabinet, or is there a separate room for this?
Review moment for students
Students will be offered an opportunity to review their grades. The way this is organized may differ. For instance, a session for a whole group of students can be organized, a consultation hour can be organized at which students can drop by, or students are requested to make an appointment for an inspection.
It can be felt as a burden. You might feel that students will just come and try to see whether a score can be changed so they get a higher grade. You may adopt a defensive posture. But when students ask for explanations, it can also be seen as an opportunity to provide constructive feedback and help students understand how and in what areas they can improve. Some students might really just come to learn from you and your feedback.
Some tips for handling these requests:
Be Prepared and consistent: | Keep your answer model or grading rubric, and notes at hand for explanations. |
Stay calm and Professional: | Keep the conversation respectful and avoid getting defensive. This is about resolving the issue, not about winning an argument. |
Be specific: | Point out precisely the mistakes or missing parts. The reasoning behind the grade. |
Be patient: | For some students, it might take more time to understand the feedback. Be willing to explain things in different ways if necessary. |
Stay open minded: | Stay open for their questions, concerns, and perspectives. Sometimes they might have a valid point. If you find that you made an error in grading, acknowledge it and correct the grade. |
Stay encouraging: | Encouragingly frame your feedback. Highlight what they did well, also. Keep in mind that this is a learning moment for the students. |
Offer suggestions: | Suggest ideas for improvement in future exams or assignments. What to look into, exercises to practice, etc. |
Be fair and strict: | Don't let other factors come into play (e.g. sympathy, pity, pressure) besides the quality of the answers. |
Offer suggestions: | Suggest ideas for enhancing their study process or work for the future. What to look into, skills to practice, etc. |
What if there is a dispute over a grade that is not solved?
It is recommended to make yourself familiar with the policies for these instances (EER, Rules & Regulations of the Examination Board). If something during the assessment process or teaching process happened that resulted in a situation that prevented students from performing well on an exam, an Examination Board can be approached by the student(s). An Examination Board does not deal with objections over an individual grade. For this, however, students can approach the Board of Appeal for Examinations (CBE), within 6 weeks of receiving the decision they want to appeal against.
This option and ways to get more information about this can be pointed out to the student. You can keep a handout or link available for these circumstances.