Electronic Assessment, Evaluation And Archiving Of Online Student Assignments

The tablet PC is beginning to have the potential to fulfill the dream of many students and instructors to dispose of paper notebooks in favor of computerized systems. Software that will allow in-class interaction on such systems is beginning to emerge, and handwriting recognition has finally become usable. One area that shows particular promise is the area of annotation, where up until now paper-based systems have dominated. Many teachers currently prefer students hand in written assignments in paper form, rather than electronically. The reason for this is commenting, correcting errors in content and grammar, and marking up papers is more easily performed with a pen than with a keyboard. With a tablet PC using the latest revision of its operating system, it is now possible to use an electronic pen to mark up assignments, combining the speed, flexibility, natural resource preservation, and organizational advantages of electronic media with the usability advantages of paper media. This paper describes the changes that result from using this method, including electronic paper submission, markup and grading, and returning the assignment with usable electronic feedback. Electronic archiving of marked-up assignments for accreditation and other program evaluation purposes are also presented, along with various storage and presentation issues. The results of a small study are shown, where an instructor and students who used the methods of this paper rated their effectiveness.