Large class teaching: How does one go about the task of moderating large volumes of assessment?

Abstract

There is limited research on the quality of assessment moderation in large classes. Effective moderation practices can improve reliability, as well as reduce marker bias, attenuate prevalence of ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ markers, increase student and staff confidence in marking, and enhance the development of staff. This article shares a marking moderation practice used in large class teaching (>1500 students). The article highlights the importance of (1) including resources/communication that are provided to markers in order to facilitate a shared understanding and interpretation of the marking criteria; (2) incorporating multiple points of double marking to detect differences in marker performance over time that may have been brought on by fatigue, tight timelines or inexperience; and (3) developing markers’ skills early through formative feedback to acquire self-sufficiency, accuracy and expertise in the grading process. The practice of moderation utilised in this article overcomes some of the challenges of moderating large volumes of assessments. Particularly, the use of audio feedback and video resources was deemed the most novel and useful.