No More Marking is an e-learning tool which utilises the concept of comparative judgement applied to marking and grading student tests. Comparative Judgement is a way of marking that uses comparisons of quality instead of using absolute judgements in quality. As humans we are good at comparing things, hence by using this approach to marking – by making comparisons of pairs of items – it is possible to get a very reliable scale and build up a measurement scale.
Usage
No More Marking can be used to judge any pieces of comparable work. It works very well with material such as English and qualitative based exams. This method of marking saves time and makes the process much more interactive and according to reviewer reports gives a very accurate depiction of how well a student is performing and overall how well the teacher is performing. It is relatively simple to use this software. The work needs to be uploaded, sent to the assessors/markers, then judged and finally the results can be downloaded. One drawback of this e-learning tool is that it does require extra effort in putting all papers online. Also as it is a new tool that it hasn’t received much support/exposure from the education sector to date, though it remains one of the most innovative and promising approaches we have seen though out this whole study.
Reviews
Ireni Thalassinos, Head of English, Lewisham Southwark College
At Lewisham Southwark College we have an unprecedented number of GCSE entries due to recent policy and assessment reforms. This year we are expecting to enter around 600 students for GCSE English. The scale of the entry means that setting and marking a mock examination is quite a major operation. We decided to use a Comparative Judgement approach to reduce the burden of marking from the GCSE English mock examinations and to ensure that staff working across disparate sites with different cohorts were all applying the same standards.
The 20 GCSE English teachers then gathered for a judging session. It was clear from the start that everyone was engaged in the judging. Indeed Shoshi, the GCSE co-ordinator said that it was rare to see teachers so enthusiastic about marking!
‘I feel less isolated in the marking process’ (Karen )‘For the first time I can actually say that I enjoyed marking and have no doubt that our students will be awarded a fair grade’ (Toyin)
Tool Evaluation
