Ask almost any instructor from high school to higher ed, and they’ll tell you manual grading is a grind. Giving students feedback may be one of the most important things you do, but keeping your grade book up to date can be a chore.
At Stukent®, we’re here to make your job a little more manageable. We include auto-grading features in Simternships™ and courseware to allow you to focus on the aspects of your work you love. You’ll have more time to mentor your students, consult in your field of expertise, or conduct research. You know, the good stuff!
Let’s talk about three ways auto-graded features in Stukent Simternships and courseware help you and your students do your best work.
1. Reduce the Pain Points of Grading
Experiential learning activities are an asset to any course, but hands-on learning doesn’t have to be a hassle. The auto-grading features in Stukent Simternships and digital courseware reduce the administrative burden on instructors, giving them powerful tools for assessment and course management.
In fall 2023, The Boedeker Group surveyed 82 educators from 77 unique institutions about the state of experiential learning in higher education. Researchers discovered that instructors ranked manual grading as their most burdensome task. In the chart below, a ranking of 1 indicates a task with the highest perceived burden, while a 9 signifies the lowest.
Instructors ranked manual grading (1.8) as more burdensome than lesson or material preparation (3.7). Grading isn’t an element of the course that can be recycled, like assignments or assessments, but it can be automated.
Auto-grading allows instructors to assign meaningful, engaging activities to students without increasing the instructor’s workload. Most Stukent Simternships are fully auto-graded, immersing students in virtual work-integrated learning without the grading headaches. Digital courseware includes auto-graded quizzes and Check Your Understanding activities, which help instructors gauge student progress at a glance.
Outside of saving an instructor time, auto-grading provides additional affordances, including:
- Consistent grading: Auto-grading eliminates the biases that may occur when assignments are manually graded.
- Increased data accuracy: These tools provide data about student performance, which gives an instructor an accurate overview of student performance.
- Scalability: Auto-grading allows an instructor to scale assessments for large course sections or institutions.
Plus, Stukent course materials integrate into popular learning management systems (LMSs), which means your grade book will always be up to date. Easy.
2. Provide Immediate, Individualized Feedback
Auto-grading is a win-win affordance — it provides powerful benefits for instructors and students.
Students need prompt feedback to correct mistakes and misconceptions. If instructors address errors early, students can develop a stronger knowledge base and better skills, leading to improved academic performance.
Other auto-grading affordances for students include:
- Accelerated learning: Immediate feedback reinforces students’ mental models, accelerating the learning cycle and helping students retain information.
- Enhanced motivation: Timely feedback provides students with a sense of accomplishment, which encourages effort, engagement, and sustained learning.
- Reduced anxiety and frustration: Delayed feedback may cause students uncertainty and anxiety, as they may not know if they’re on the right track with new material.
Stukent Simternships and digital courseware provide instant feedback for students. In a Simternship, students get immediate, individualized feedback on their work at the end of each round. Students can analyze what they did well (or not so well) and use that data to improve their work in the future.
What’s more? Simternships and courseware integrate into most curricula and classroom modalities, too. Whether you teach in person, online, or hybrid, you can implement powerful auto-graded resources into your curriculum.
3. Better Mentorship and Scaffolding
Finally, auto-grading gives instructors up-to-date insights into student performance. This data allows instructors to tailor their lectures and other in-person interactions to students’ needs.
The data from auto-grading can help instructors:
- Provide students with targeted, effective mentorship for improved learning outcomes
- Identify students’ zones of proximal development and provide better scaffolding for instructional activities
- Adjust content for future courses, learning activities, or assessments
Auto-grading can help instructors give students a more learner-centric experience. This personalized approach fosters better mental models of concepts, boosts motivation, and increases long-term retention of the material.
The big takeaways? Educators can upgrade their grade books by integrating auto-graded resources into their courses. Auto-grading enhances instructional efficiency, provides prompt and effective feedback, and creates a personalized and equitable learning environment for students.
Talk to a Stukent course consultant to see how auto-grading can transform your course.
Why Stukent?
At Stukent, we’re helping instructors prepare students for successful careers in business, marketing, communication, and accounting. To read more about the affordances of Stukent Simternships and courseware, download The State of Experiential Learning and Higher Education 2024 report from Stukent!
To learn about Stukent’s first-in-the-world Simternships and courseware and to get FREE instructor access to Stukent materials, visit our website.
