Procedure for Notification and Confirmation of Assignments
- Grading assignments will be posted outside the CSE main office, DL395 at the beginning of the quarter.
- If you received an assignment, contact the faculty member(s) to whom you are assigned as soon as possible and confirm your assignment.
- Having confirmed your assignment, if you are not currently employed by the Department and this is your first grading assignment, go to the Department's main office (DL395). There are forms outside the door of DL 395E to be filled in by first-time employees. Then see the staff member in DL395C with the completed forms and bring along a picture ID. Employees new to the University payroll must also complete an I-9 form.
Important Notes About Your Assignment
- To be employed by the University, you must be in good academic standing and be currently enrolled for at least six credit hours. Fees must be paid by the 14th day of the quarter. You must remain enrolled for at least six credits for the entire quarter.
- The maximum appointment allowed by the University in all combinations is 30 hours per week by all units of the University, combined. However, international students studying on an F-1 visa may not be employed for more than 20 hours per week.
- The number of hours assigned for one or more courses represents an average total weekly workload. As part of the assigned number of hours you are expected to have at least 2 office hours per week to enable students in the course(s) for which you are grading to reach you for consultation, when necessary. You are expected to use office hours for grading or other productive work when students donot come in for consultation.
- Office space will be provided for non-GTA graders in DL 172. The desks, filing cabinets, and computers are to be shared with other graders. The office is provided to conduct office hours and grade assignments. You should treat the area as you would any other professional office. You may use it as a study or work area provided no other grader needs the space to perform grading duties, but you should not invite friends to visit or to use the resources.
- You may use your BuckID card to access DL172 at any time through the card swipe on the door. Treat the card swipe access as you would a key; do not give your BuckID card to anyone else. If you are the last one to occupy DL172, be sure it is locked when you leave.
- Mailboxes are provided for graders in DL 380. They should be checked on a regular basis for notices, announcements, and other messages. The area will be locked after 5:00 pm. (after 4:30 during summer quarter).
- Unix accounts will be provided for graders to further facilitate communication between you and your instructor by electronic mail. TA's should already have their own accounts. For non TA's, if you do not have a permanent account, accounts will be available within a few days. The user name is generally the first 8 letters of the last name and the initial password is composed of the last 4 digits of the social security number followed by the initial of the first name and the initial of the last name.
- There is no grader newsgroup, as such, on the system. However, messages regarding time sheets and other fiscal matters will be posted to cis.wages. You should put this on the list of newsgroups you read regularly.
- There are three on-line software tools provided for use by graders, `submit', `cronfig' and `grade'. The "Course Management Configuration Software Information" document describes each of the programs. `submit' is for electronic submission of labs. `crconfig' stands for `course configuration' . It must be set up initially by the instructor who may then give proxy rights to the grader.
If your instructor asks you to maintain a gradebook, there is a grading program, `grade', that you may find helpful. There is on-line documentation (man grade) describing how to use this software.
For Hourly Wage Graders
- You will receive a letter with your first paycheck from the Grad/Undergrad Assignments Chairperson confirming your appointment, the courses you are assigned to grade, and the rate of pay. Check this to be sure it is correct.
- Please see: Timesheet System
Suggestions for Grading
- Most instructors provide a sample solution to a lab or homework, often with a point framework. Probably this is not the only solution, so you must be familiar enough with the material to evaluate alternate solutions. You should also be aware of course policies regarding programming style, etc.
- Make two grading passes. The first time go through and find mistakes. Decide on a point value per type of mistake and keep a list. It may be possible to examine only a portion of the assignments to come up with this list. On the second pass, mark the assignment with those points. Explain point deductions clearly. Write some positive comments also.
- These suggestions also apply to electronic grading. There is a temptation to provide less feedback to students because on-line submission makes it more difficult. One suggestion is to use a template that is returned to each student via e-mail. A sample template is shown below.
- When you've completed the grading, make a list of common mistakes to review with the class or return to the instructor.
- A good goal is to return work to students within a week from the time the assignment was turned in. This means that if you are grading for someone else, you will have to watch the syllabus to pick up work soon after it is turned in. Some instructors may use mailboxes to drop off and pick up assignments, others feel this is too insecure, and prefer to have the work returned personally. Check with your instructor.
- A sample grading template
Concluding Note
This document has been designed to assist the new and returning CSE graders in getting (re)started on a successful quarter. You are encouraged to suggest ways in which this effort could be improved. (ESQ 9/30/96)
