software for grading research papers

I am looking for a reasonable price software to help with grading research papers.

I need help to grade a research paper.

Not sure if anything program exists to actually grade the paper...scary thought.

I know sites like TurnItIn will check citations and originality but actually grading it is still done the old-fashioned and time consuming manner....as it should be.

Try an old fashioned rubric....

[Margaret Johnson]

What you might have in mind is a program which checks to see whether the paper is a cut-and-paste off of internt sources. I believe there are three such programs which charge for their services, and your librarian should have information on such. A fellow teacher types in suspect sections on Google with good results.

Since my purpose in teaching the researh paper (9th & 10th grades) is to teach the process and format, I have the students write on a single topic using controlled sources. They are required to do all of their work in class. They compose a questionnaire and tabulate their results for primary source information. We use a rubric to structure the process.

My tactic forces students out of their usual cut-and-paste mode and is not a comfort zone for them or their parents.

Before you assign the research paper, you should decide why you are doing it and what you want the students to learn. This is what you grade them on in the paper. If you want them to learn MLA style, appropriate grammar usage, incorporating quotes, and thesis...this is what you look for in the final copy. You shouldn't use a program to grade research papers. Students spend a lot of time and effort on these papers and you should spend equally as much effort grading them. There are many education journals that have articles on how to grade papers quickly and effectively. Look these up, they'll help.

Just a few suggestions....don't overload on the comments because it scares the students away (trust me), know what a perfect paper is before you start grading, only grade a few at a time so that your grading criteria is similar throughout the whole stack.

turnitin.com is an excellent tool; highly suggested

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am looking for a reasonable price software to help with grading research papers.

Like you I have spent many hundreds of hours grading papers, providing
feedback and adding up marks in marking rubrics. I've written some software
(works with any version of Word for Windows) to help me grade electronic
papers and it is now available as a 30 day download.

More information and a 10 minute overview of using eMarking Assistant is available
at:
http://emarking-assistant.baker-evans.com

Briefly the eMarking Assistant software saves time by:
* allowing markers to create, insert and customise detailed reusable
comments which can contain text, images, audio, links. These reusable
comments can be easily distributed to markers to promote consistency
and reduce second marking. a 50 item Academic Writing comment bank
is provided
* create and use automated marking rubrics in Word which record, add
and rescale marks and allow the performance standards to be inserted
as comments into the assignment
* provide easy access to common Word features on single floating toolbar
* a one year license costs only $USD20 and this will be easily repaid in the
time you save in the first week
* allow you to highlighting a phrase in the assignment and click a button
to do a Google web, scholar or book search

A link to download a 30 day trial of the software and online support is available at
http://emarking-assistant.baker-evans.com.

Below are the major features of eMarking Assistant (2009 version 1.1).

eMarking Assistant:
* works in exactly the same way with any version of Microsoft Word for Windows
* is available as a 30 day fully functional trail which can be easily installed
(3 clicks and under 1 minute) and uninstalled without administration privileges
* can be installed on 2 computers allowing you to save time grading both at work
and at home
* operates using floating toolbars which can be moved around the screen or
displayed vertically or horizontally to suit your work habits and screen size
* provides text tips so you don't have to remember cryptic icons

Reusable comments can be inserted using the floating "eMarking" toolbar:
* the toolbar shows both the comment name and the text of the comment
(so you don’t have to remember cryptic codes)
* comments are organised in categories e.g. "academic writing" or "APA?" or
"structure"
* comments can be selected by scrolling through a categories list or by typing
the first few letters
* the selected comment can be inserted into either a comment bubble in the
margin or into the text
* new reusable comments can be created easily by selecting text, images,
audio or tables in the assignment and clicking a button

Audio feedback:
* audio comments can be easily recorded in Word (2 clicks) and inserted into
the assignment
* audio comments can be easily stored for future reuse
* audio comments can be stored in high quality or compressed for smaller
file size (300 K per minute)

The "Preparation" toolbar provides easy access to the following Word
features on a single floating toolbar:
* show or hide spelling errors
* show or hide grammar errors
* show or hide paragraph marks and invisible characters
* record or don't record track change
* show either the "final" or the "final with mark-up" or the "original"
version of the document

Enables automated marking rubrics which:
* can be easily created in a Word table with columns for criteria and
standards, the maximum mark and the graded mark. You can also
add columns for self or peer assessment
* respond to button clicks or function key presses by highlighting standards
and recording marks
* can increase or decrease marks within the specified range
* add the recorded marks, show a percentage and rescale them to the final
mark (i.e. produce a mark out of 20)
* will insert the selected standard and mark into the assignment as a margin
comment

Select text in the assignment and then click buttons to:
* do a Google web, Google Scholar, Google biog search or Google Groups
search and display the results in your browser
* highlight every occurrence of the text
* save the text as a reusable comment

Return the assignment to the student by either:
* saving it to your hard disk with the mark included in the name (in version 1.2)
* email the document within Word

The reusable comment banks can be:
* created by highlighting text and pressing a button
* saved in a word file to edit, or move to another computer or distribute to markers
* "harvested" from a folder of previously marked assignments
* swapped with other eMarking Assistant users in the support site at
http://emarking-assistant.baker-evans.com

A 50 item "academic writing" comment bank, with sections on APA referencing and the
use of Word, can be automatically installed when eMarking Assistant is first installed.

More information, including screen movies and a trial download, is available on
eMarking Assistant site at:
http://emarking-assistant.baker-evans.com

Kind regards,
Dr Peter Evans

emarking-assistant@baker-evans.com
http://emarking-assistant.baker-evans.com
Skype: evans-pj