Second marking in Canvas (Staff Guide)
Second marking can be a tricky process if you're not sure where to start, particularly if the assignment is marked anonymously. It is important to ensure that student work is consistently marked and that summative assessments are marked in accordance with the agreed criteria/marking scheme as outlined in the Universities policy on Moderation of Assessed Work.
The TEL team are here to help you navigate this process and help you understand how this can be achieved in Canvas SpeedGrader.
Please Note: This guide assumes that all work has already marked in Speedgrader by the first marker using standard marking practices.
Sighted Marking (Named Submissions)
Enabling the Notes Column
The notes column is a separate column in the grades area which allows you to keep track of extra information and is hidden from students. The notes column can be added by clicking on the settings cog in the top right hand side of the grades page:
- Once added, the notes column can be used to add additional information by the second marker. To review work, click in the cell for one of your sample students, and then click on the icon that appears on the right hand corner of the grades cell for a student as pictured below.
- Click on the Speedgrader option pictured below.
- Review the students work, taking into account comments and feedback of the first marker.
- Right click on the Grades icon in the top left hand corner of the page, and then open grades in a new window by clicking on 'Open in new Window'.
- Record your feedback in the newly added notes column by clicking in the cell next to the appropriate student, adding your comments and marks into the notes popup and clicking save. Navigate to the next allocated student and repeat this process until all students in the sample have been reviewed.
Use the notes column to discuss the outcomes of the review and make changes to student marks where required. External Examiners have access to Canvas and can also review the notes column, or alternatively the grades area can be exported and delivered in an offline format.
Anonymously (Anonymous Submissions)
When anonymity is switched on for an assignment, student names are hidden and an anonymous identifier appears in place of the student name i.e. Student 1. These identifiers can be used by the first marker to select a sample number of students, and communicate these to the second marker. This identifier persists throughout the marking process until marks are released to students and the student identity is revealed.
Please note: The anonymous identifier set by Canvas only persists if the cohort stays the same. If any changes are made to student enrolments, for example if a student is made inactive for any reason in SIS, different identifiers will be provided to all students in Canvas.
The student identifier appears in the top right hand corner of Speedgrader e.g. Student 1. Clicking on the down arrow next to the student identifier, displays all students on the course and their anonymous identifiers. Alternatively students can be reviewed by clicking on the next arrow and marking each student in turn. The students are anonymised and do not appear in alphabetical order.
Reviewing Student Work
- Open the grades area of your course. Click on the arrow at the top of the column and select Speedgrader from the drop down list to start reviewing work.
- Anonymous submissions are selected at random for marking. If the first student does not match an identifier of one of your sample students, click on the drop down and select the first student in your list.
- Review the students work, taking into account comments and feedback of the first marker. Record your feedback in a spreadsheet locally on your computer, using the student identifier as a reference point e.g. Student 4. Navigate to the next sample student using either the next button, or the drop down list in the top right hand corner of the speedgrader page to review the second students work.
Once all sample students have been marked, share your findings with the first marker. Inconsistencies in the marking process should be checked and comments should be reviewed before posting your assignment and releasing feedback to students.
