eMarking Assistant will save you time when grading papers or marking electronic assignments. The following video demonstrates the main features which are also described below.
http://www.baker-evans.com/emarking-assistant/movies/using/
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) without administration privileges
- can be installed on 2 computers allowing you to save time grading both at work and at home
- is only $USD20 and will pay for itself in time saving in the first week
- 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
The reusable comments can be inserted using the floating "eMarking" toolbar:
- which 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 "Word"
- 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 comments can be created by selecting text, images, audio, tables and clicking a button
Feedback can be recorded in Word using audio:
- audio comments can be easily recorded in Word (2 clicks) and inserted into the assignment
- audio comments can be 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 in Word 2003 or 2007:
- show or hide spelling errors
- show or hide grammar errors
- show or hide paragraph marks and invisible characters
- record or don't record track changes
- show either the "final" or the "final with markup" 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.