Re: Grading programs (was: New teacher)

[Marie Helweg-Larsen]

I use Micrograde and I love it. Of course you have to figure out how it works (there is some learning required) but I find it very easy to use and it can do all the things you describe. The best part of all (which my students also love) is that you can upload the grades (with a couple of simple clicks) to a secure website. You can then easily email student (the program handles this too) giving them their unique access and password. This way students always know where they stand (see earlier tips discussions) and I get errors corrected along the way. Students also really like being able to get their exams grades when I'm done grading (but before class), and they can also get their final course grade (before they have arrived from the registrar). Here is the website for the software  http://www.chariot.com/micrograde/
Oh, also it is no problem to install the program on multiple computers (at home, TAs, etc.).
Marie

Maxwell Gwynn wrote:

Beth and others:

I must not have been paying attention when grading programs were discussed
on TIPS, as I've been relatively satisfied with using spreadsheet
programs for grading purposes. I'm always open to technology that would
make my life simpler, however!

As someone who has always used a spreadsheet program (most recently
Microsoft Excel), I'm not familiar with computerized grading programs.
What advantages and disadvantages do these programs have over Excel and
Lotus, for example? 

I find it quite easy in Excel to compute overall grades (in percentages,
which I convert by hand to letter grades) and listings which I can post on
my door for students to see. I can sort by name or ID number, and
calculate means and standard deviations for exams and assignments. I'm not
terribly pleased with the graphing functions; simple frequency histograms
are not easy to produce and manipulate, so I typically copy the variable
and paste it in to an SPSS data file.

One thing I like about using Excel is that my TA's are typically familiar
enough with this program that they can work with it when entering grades.
As well, they usually have this program on their own computers, which
wouldn't be the case with commercial software packages. Further, when I
run in to questions for which the help function doesn't help, I can ask
colleagues for assistance, since most of them are also familiar with
Excel.

What can grading programs do above and beyond the functions mentioned
above? And what other grading programs (freeware, shareware, or
commercial) do others recommend? What sort of learning curve is involved
in each?  

-Max Gwynn

On Thu, 5 Dec 2002, Beth Benoit wrote:

  

Hi Jessey,
    

SNIP
  

7.  Get a computerized grading program.  WELL worth it.  We've discussed
computerized grading programs on TIPS before.  I use "Grade Quick" - it's at
least 8 years old and I love it.  I'm sure there must be newer versions. You
can enter information by just typing the first couple of letters of a
student's name and it skips to that student's records.  Has attendance,
grades, weighting of grades, etc.  Also helpful when students quibble about
what their grade averages out to.  (See TIPS for last few days...)  Just
show them the computerized printout.
    

Maxwell Gwynn, PhD				[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Psychology			(519) 884-0710 ext 3854
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario  N2L 3C5 Canada



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Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA 17013
Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717)) 245-1971
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