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GSI Teaching & Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley

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Efficient Grading

As a GSI, you have many demands on your time. Too often, time spent grading takes away from time spent doing coursework or research. Fortunately, there are some strategies you can use to make the grading process more efficient.

1. Identify common problems students had with an assignment and prepare a handout addressing those problems. This helps you to avoid having to write the same comments multiple times. This helps you to address the problem in more detail and helps the students to realize that others share the same problems.
2. Type your comments. This has a number of advantages: it allows you to keep a computer record of the student's progress over the semester, comments can be more detailed, longer comments on common problems can be cut and pasted from one assignment to another, and it is easier for the student to read what you have written.
3. Do not comment on every problem or point. Focus on a couple of major points. This not only helps you to grade more efficiently, it also avoids overwhelming the students. It enables them to focus more effectively on the areas of their work that most need improvement.
4. Use a spreadsheet to calculate grades. It may take a little time to learn how to use spreadsheet programs for grading if you are not familiar with them, but the savings in time can be considerable if you are working with grade points or weighted letter grades. If you use Microsoft products, you can download their gradebook templates for free (this link opens a new window).

• Don't waste time on careless student work. Walvoord and Anderson give the example of a faculty member who asks students to complete the following checklist and attach it to their papers. ["Effective Grading" by Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Jossey-Bass: 1998, pp. 128-9.]
  • I read the short story at least twice.
  • I revised this paper at least once.
  • I spent at least five hours on this paper.
  • I started work on this paper at least three days ago.
  • I have tried hard to do my best work on this paper.
  • I proofread this paper at least twice for grammar and punctuation.
  • I asked at least one other person to proofread the paper.
  • I ran the paper through a spelling check.

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Effective Grading Links:

• Introduction
• Designing Assignments
• Establishing Standards and Criteria
• Assigning Grades
• The Grading Process
• Efficient Grading
• Writing Comments
• Example Papers
  • Paper 1
  • Paper 2
  • Paper 3
• Returning Graded Papers

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Teaching Resources Links:

• Creating Ground Rules for Discussion Sections
• Using Group Work in Discussion Sections
• Strategies for Variety in the Classroom
• Developing Critical Reading Skills
• How to Teach Lab Sections
• Award-winning Teaching Ideas (Teaching Effectiveness Award Essays)
• Theories of Learning
• Dealing with and Preventing Academic Dishonesty
• Grading Students' Written Work
• Understanding & Using Instructional Technology
• Five Ways to Improve Your Teaching
• How to Write a Letter of Recommendation
• Campus Resources
• FAQs

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