HiTA Instructor Guide
  • Welcome to the HiTA Instructor Documentation!
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • The Instructor and Student Views
  • Instructor Tools
    • Editing Course Metadata
    • Course Members
    • Course Conversation Searching
    • Instructor Analytics Dashboard
    • Course LMS Integration
    • Scheduling
  • Modules and Lessons
    • Module Creation
    • Lesson Creation
    • Lesson Creation via File Upload
    • Edit Lesson/Module Metadata
    • Module and Lesson Reordering
    • Editing Lesson Content
  • Activities
    • What is an activity?
    • Creating an Activity
    • Activity Analytics
  • Assignments
    • Assignments Overview
    • Assignment Configuration
    • Grading Best Practices
  • HiTA in Canvas
    • Overview
    • Enabling HiTA in Your Course
    • Additional Instructor Navbar Options
  • HiTA in D2L Brightspace
    • Enabling HiTA in Your Course
  • Policies
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • FERPA Policy
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  • Grading Modes
  • Freeform Grading Mode
  • Rubric Grading Mode
  • Tuning the AI Grader

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  1. Assignments

Grading Best Practices

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Last updated 22 days ago

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This guide explains how to maximize the AI grader's effectiveness to save time on grading submissions, allowing you to focus more on providing your students with an optimal learning experience.

Grading Modes

The AI grader operates in two primary modes: rubric-based grading or freeform grading. The mode selection depends on whether you use the rubric editor in the grading view. If you create any rubric items in the rubric editor, the AI grader will use rubric mode; otherwise, it defaults to freeform mode.

Freeform Grading Mode

While freeform grading is convenient, it may not suit all assignments. You might notice inconsistencies between submissions or even when grading the same submission multiple times, as the AI grader operates with some randomness. For complex assignments or those significantly impacting students' grades, we recommend using rubric mode instead.

Rubric Grading Mode

Rubric grading mode gives instructors the most control while leveraging AI assistance. This mode functions similarly to other grading tools but with AI enhancement. To use rubric mode, create rubric items in the grading page's rubric editor. The AI grader will then evaluate submissions based solely on your defined rubric items, ensuring consistent point allocation and evaluation criteria across all submissions.

Each rubric item consists of:

  • A description explaining the evaluation criteria

  • A score value indicating points to add or subtract when the criteria apply

The AI grader analyzes submissions against your rubric descriptions and suggests which criteria apply.

Rubric items can be modified during the grading process, maintaining consistency across submissions. For example, if you adjust a rubric item's point value after applying it to several submissions, all affected submissions will automatically update to reflect the new value. This ensures fair and consistent grading for all students.

Tuning the AI Grader

The AI grader is designed to accommodate various higher education use cases. To optimize it for your specific needs:

  1. Upload your existing rubrics and answer keys

  2. Test the AI grader on a few initial submissions

  3. If satisfied, use the "Suggest All Grades" button to process all submissions

  4. Use the custom instructions field to provide examples of undesired outcomes and specify your preferred grading approach

  5. Try regrading the submissions. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as necessary.

  6. Once you are satisfied, click the "Suggest All Grades" button.

Freeform grading is the default mode and is ideal for simple assignments and pass/fail grading scenarios. In this mode, the AI grader suggests feedback items and grades based on your . The AI generates appropriate feedback suggestions for each submission, which you can then accept or reject individually.

If the results need improvement, adjust the

assignment configuration options
configuration options
Rubric items are present in the rubric editor, indicating that rubric grading mode will be used.
An example of AI-generated feedback in the freeform grading mode.
The AI grader uses your rubric to suggest applicable criteria for each submission.
The rubric editor
freeform AI grading interface
Rubric editor with AI suggestions