Using the SpeedGrader

Using SpeedGrader to mark assignments

You can use the SpeedGrader to quickly mark student assignment submissions.
 

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Go to Assignments and select the assignment you would like to grade.
2. Select the SpeedGrader button found on the right-hand side of the page. 
   Alternatively, go to Grades and click in the cell of the first assignment and then select the arrow that appears to the right and select SpeedGrader.
3. Annotate the student's submission file.  You will have the option to select text using the Selection tool. Other options to annotate include:  Highlight, Point Annotation, Freetext, Strikethrough, Free draw annotation, and Area annotation.
4. Once you have completed annotating the submission, provide a grade and add comments.
5. Select the Submit button.

You can download a copy of the annotated paper for your records.

Note: We recommend having only 1 Quercus window open while using SpeedGrader.

1. Gradebook: Return to the Gradebook
    Settings: Access to "Options", "Keyboard Shortcuts", and "Help"
    Assignment name: when selected takes you to the Assignment page
    Due Date: shows the due date for an assignment, if one has been assigned
    Course Name: when selected takes you to the course Home page

2. Current assignment total assignments 
    Average grade: shows the current average grade for the current assignment
    Student name: when selected shows a list of students with links to their submissions for the current assignment
    Arrows: previous and next arrows take you to the previous and next student submissions

3. Download annotated file: allows you to download the assignment submission with the annotations
    Current page of total pages
    Page arrows: Shows the previous and next page arrows
    Rotate Page Clockwise by 90 Degrees
    Zoom Out and Zoom In
    Enter Full Screen

4. Annotation tools: Selection, Point annotation, Highlight annotation, Freetext annotation, Strikeout annotation, Free draw annotation, Area annotation

5. DocViewer: Shows the student’s assignment submission

6. Submitted date or Submission to View: shows the date and time the assignment was submitted. For multiple submissions, provides a dropdown menu containing the different submissions
    Submitted files - click to download the original file submitted

7. Assessment: Box to enter a grade of out the total number of points

8. Assignment Comments: add a comment and click the Submit button
    Attachment: attach a file containing comments
    Record: record an audio comment
    Download Submission Comments: Link to Download Submission comments

Grade Assignment with SpeedGrader - Video (2 mins 16 s)

Files and fonts that can be viewed in SpeedGrader

When students submit Word format file submissions in Quercus that contains fonts not listed in the link above, the SpeedGrader DocViewer will resize the text, causing it to not be visible. You may want to consider asking students to stick to certain fonts if submitting Word format file submissions in Quercus, as indictated in the link below.
Files and fonts that can be viewed in SpeedGrader

If you would like students to submit assignments using other fonts than indicated in the link above then it may be a better idea to ask students to create and submit a PDF file for their assignemnt submission.

 

Viewing and grading an Audio / Video Submission

Viewing and grading a "Media Recordings" Online Submission Type Assignment

When the "Media Recordings" Online Submission Type Assignment option is selected, Instructors can play and grade students' audio or video assignment submissions (less than 500 MB) in the SpeedGrader.


Instructions to view and grade an Uploaded "Media Recordings" Online Submission Type Assignment

1. In the SpeedGrader, select the click here to view linked text, as shown in the screen shot below.

2. Press play to view the video in the SpeedGrader, as shown in the screen shot below.

Notes:

• DocViewier annotations are not available when the "Media Recordings" Online Submission Type Assignment option is selected
• Media recording submissions cannot be downloaded
   

Viewing and grading a "Website URL" Online Submission Type Assignment

When the "Website URL" Online Submission Type Assignment option is selected, Instructors can play and grade students' audio or video assignment submissions (greater than 500 MB) in the SpeedGrader.


Instructions to view and grade an Uploaded "Media Recordings" Online Submission Type Assignment

1. In the SpeedGrader, select the link, as shown in the screen shot below.

2. Press play to view the video in the SpeedGrader, as shown in the screen shot below.

Notes:  

• DocViewer annotations are not available with this method
• Website URLs cannot be re-uploaded to the Gradebook

Grading a Quercus Quiz

• The grading by quiz question option can be used so that graders can grade the same question across multiple quizzes.  Note:  This will work only if questions have not been randomized using a Question Group.
• It is possible to set the Gradebook column to manually release grades for questions that are manually graded so that they can be posted at the same time. 
• For quizzes that have questions that are automatically graded, it is possible to set the Gradebook column to automatically release grades.
• Quiz regrade does not apply to questions linked to a question bank since questions may be used in more than one quiz.
• With regard to Rubrics and Quizzes:
  • You can’t use them to grade a quiz.
  • You can use them to provide feedback but not by individual question.
  • It is recommended that you turn off the point values so there are no issues with the totaling of the grades.
  • You can hide the rubric.
• Further information about a student's quiz submission, you can use technology-based resources, such as Course Data and Reports (e.g., the Access Report, Quiz Logs, Gradebook data).  Please note (Instructure, 2021
  

• 
  
  Links to an external site.):
  • "Quiz logs should not be used to validate academic integrity or identify occurrences of cheating."
  • "Quiz logs are only retained for six (6) months."
• For more information regarding academic integrity, please visit the UTM Academic Integrity Website.

Grading Quiz Essay Questions

It is possible to grade quiz essay questions using the Grading by Question functionality.

Instructions:

1. Select Grades from the Course Menu.
2. Click on a cell where the quiz essay question grading is required.
3. Select the question that needs grading.
4. After reviewing the student’s work, add the mark for the response and click on the Update Scores button.
5. Add a comment if needed and click on the Submit button.
6. Select the arrow at the top right-hand corner to advance to the next student’s response to the same question and follow the same steps to enter a grade.

Grade Individual Quiz Essay Questions - Video (56 s)

SpeedGrader Submission Reassignment

When grading online assignments in the SpeedGrader, instructors can click on the Reassign button to reassign the assignment to a student. In order to enable the Reassign button, the instructor must:

• enable multiple submissions for the assignment
• submit a comment for the assignment (only entering a grade will not enable the Reassign button)
  
  Notes:
• Reassigning the assignment to the student does not change the original due date
• This feature is not available for External Tools (LTI), "On paper", and "No submission" assignments
  
   

Additional Resources

For information on using a rubric to grade student assignment submissions please follow the link below.
https://utm.library.utoronto.ca/faculty/canvas/rubric#speedgrader

More information on using the SpeedGrader can be found at the link below.
https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-12774-415255021