5 Reasons Why I Love Using Gradescope

Ashley Berger is a math instructor at the University of Oklahoma, where she uses Gradescope to grade paper-based assignments in her Business Calculus course.

1. I grade without worry, since I can adjust the point scale at any time.
   When grading, I love how I can change point values on my rubric. Gradescope automatically fixes the points for submissions that have already been graded.
2. The Answer Grouping feature has significantly improved my grading speed.
   The new grouping feature helps me grade more quickly since I can categorize students’ answers that are similar and then grade each group at once. I once had an exam problem that probably would have taken an hour to grade by hand, but with the grouping, it only took me 10 minutes. I mainly use the ‘grading groups all at once’ feature for short answer Calculus problems.
3. It gives me the freedom to grade at any time.
   I love that I only need my laptop to grade now. I no longer have to plan ahead when I am going to grade and fill up my backpack with papers. As long as I have my laptop with me, I can grade whenever and wherever it becomes convenient.
4. I no longer spend valuable class time passing back papers.
   In addition to helping me grade quickly from anywhere, Gradescope also saves me time in my classes since I do not have to collect or pass back assignments.
5. It’s helped create new learning opportunities.
   Gradescope has also allowed for more interesting class discussions. Since my students never have to turn in the paper copy of their homework*, they are free to discuss, modify, or build on to their homework attempts while in class, with their official submission already in Gradescope. This has allowed my students to begin every class with a discussion of their homework, providing opportunities to address misunderstandings, and it often leads them into the next lesson easily.

*Students can take pictures of their work with their phones and upload the images or PDF file to Gradescope. Students can submit both fixed or variable-length work (i.e., book problems) to Gradescope.

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Learn more about Gradescope and how it can help you grade your existing assignments in half the time.