Publication
Title
Checkbox grading of handwritten mathematics exams with multiple assessors : how do students react to the resulting atomic feedback? A mixed-method study
Author
Abstract
Handwritten tasks are better suited than digital ones to assess higher-order mathematics skills, as students can express themselves more freely. However, maintaining reliability and providing feedback can be challenging when assessing high-stakes, handwritten mathematics exams involving multiple assessors. This paper discusses a new semi-automated grading approach called ‘checkbox grading’. Checkbox grading gives each assessor a list of checkboxes consisting of feedback items for each task. The assessor then ticks those feedback items which apply to the student’s solution. Dependencies between the checkboxes can be set to ensure all assessors take the same route on the grading scheme. The system then automatically calculates the grade and provides atomic feedback to the student, giving a detailed insight into what went wrong and how the grade was obtained. Atomic feedback consists of a set of format requirements for mathematical feedback items, which has been shown to increase feedback’s reusability. Checkbox grading was tested during the final high school mathematics exam (grade 12) organised by the Flemish Exam Commission, with 60 students and 10 assessors. This paper focuses on students’ perceptions of the received checkbox grading feedback and how easily they interpreted it. After the exam was graded, all students were sent an online questionnaire, including their personalised exam feedback. The questionnaire was filled in by 36 students, and 4 of them participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that students could interpret the feedback from checkbox grading well, with no correlation between students’ exam scores and feedback understanding. Therefore, we suggest that checkbox grading is an effective way to provide feedback, also for students with shaky subject matter knowledge.
Language
English
Source (journal)
ZDM : Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik / FIZ [Karlsruhe] - Heidelberg, 2007, currens
Publication
Heidelberg : Springer , 2024
ISSN
1863-9690 [print]
1863-9704 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S11858-024-01550-6
Volume/pages
(2024) , p. 1-17
ISI
001177878300001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Using semi-automated feedback and assessment for mathematical proficiency: a quasi-experimental study on student learning effectiveness, reliability and time savings.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 19.03.2024
Last edited 08.05.2024
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