There are two options when it comes to marking exam answers in ExamOnline (EOL):
- Downloaded PDFs – allow you to mark offline. You will receive a secure link to a zip file containing individual PDFs for each of the students who sat the exam (identified by student ID/matriculation number). The markers/module manager will have to manage the collation of results locally.
- Marking in the ExamOnline assessment system – allows you to mark anonymously online. As well as allocating a mark, you can also add inline and overall comments to student answers.
If you have been allocated to mark or moderate an exam question in ExamOnline, the module manager should have indicated whether they expect you to mark offline using PDFs, or online in the ExamOnline system.
If marking online in ExamOnline, you will receive a direct e-mail from the Assessment team with full details on how to access the assessment system.
ExamOnline can only be accessed on campus. If you need to access it off campus for marking purposes, then you will have to set up and connect
Modes of online marking
ExamOnline has been upgraded since the assessment platform was last used for invigilated online exams (pre-2020). In the previous version, markers would have had access to all modules and student answers within their School/Discipline. ExamOnline now allows for different modes of marking and requires questions from each module to be allocated to specific markers.
ExamOnline now supports three different modes of online marking for exams which require tutor marking (i.e. short answer and essay style questions):
- Single marking – each question in the exam is marked by one marker. There is no moderation.
- Single marking and moderation – each question in the exam is marked by one marker, and a different marker moderates the marks assigned by the first marker.
- Double marking and moderation – each question in the exam is marked independently by two markers, and a different marker moderates the two sets of marks.
Each marking mode (single marking, single marking with moderation, double marking with moderation) has an associated workflow with a set of steps which must be gone through to produce the marked test results. The main points to understand are:
- Administrators allocate markers (and optionally moderators) for a test on a question-by-question basis. This means that, if required, different markers can be allocated to mark/moderate different questions within a test.
- Once marking of each individual question is complete, the EOL Administrator can lock marking for it, which then allows the designated moderator access to the question to begin moderation. This means that marking on question 1 can be locked (and moderation started) while other questions in the exam are still being marked.
- Once moderation of a question is complete, the EOL Administrator can lock moderation for that question. Once moderation has been locked for all questions in the exam, the marking process is complete.
- The EOL system is unable to determine when marking/moderation is definitively complete (e.g. even if all answers appear to have been marked/moderated, markers may intend carrying out further checks), and so markers should inform the EOL Administrator (by completing the EOL – Marking + Moderation form) once their marking/moderation is complete.
Allocating markers and moderators
Once an exam is finished, and all diagram sheets have been scanned and uploaded (where applicable), a member of staff with an EOL Administrator account allocates a marker for each essay question in the exam. (If you are unsure who the EOL Administrator is for your module, please contact the Assessment team.)
The EOL Administrator should login to ExamOnline using the details allocated by the Assessment team and select Test Results (Results App).
Locate the correct test window in the left-hand panel by clicking the plus icon next to the date the assessment took place. Click on the name of the assessment (this will be in the format “ModuleCode Exam Month Year“) so that it is selected. Click on the Marking Progress tab then select Allocate markers, as shown highlighted in the image below.
A pop up message will display explaining that once markers have been allocated to a test, the test results cannot be merged with another test’s results. If you plan to merge this test with another, you must do so before allocating markers, otherwise press OK.
In the window which pops ups, select the relevant marking mode from the drop-down list.
The next step is to select which marker is allocated to mark which question. The window lists each question in the test which requires marking, and a marker must be allocated to each. To select a marker for a question either:
- click the row for the question and then click on the arrow which appears to show a drop-down list of all available markers in the system, and then select a marker; or
- click in the row for the question and begin to type the name of the marker (first name then surname). The system will auto fill the nearest match, and you can hit return or click on the auto-filled marker name to select the marker.
Once a marker is selected for a question, you can if you wish easily select the same marker for all subsequent questions. To do this, click on the button on the far right of the row. This will replicate the marker in that row for all questions which follow. Alternatively you may choose to allocate a different marker for each question. For each question a marker must be allocated
If the marking mode is set to SingleMarkedModerated then you will need to follow the same instructions as above to allocate a moderator for each question. For each question a marker and a moderator must be allocated.
When all questions have a marker and moderator allocated, click the Done button.
Once one or more questions in a test have been allocated to a marker, when that marker logs in to ExamOnline the test will be visible to them and they will be able to mark the question(s) they have been allocated. Only tests where they have been allocated as markers or moderators are visible to them.
External examiner
External examiners have read-only access to the marked and moderated results (i.e. they can view but not alter the marks awarded).
Once marking and moderation is complete and locked for all questions in an exam, an external examiner can be allocated. The EOL Administrator should login to ExamOnline using the details allocated by the Assessment team and select Test Results (Results App).
Locate the correct test window in the left-hand panel by clicking the plus icon next to the date the assessment took place. Click on the name of the assessment (this will be in the format “ModuleCode Exam Month Year“) so that it is selected. Click on the Marking Progress tab then select Allocate external. Select the correct external examiner from the drop-down list and click Done.
If required, external examiner accounts can be created by the Assessment team. (Please note that as ExamOnline is only available on campus, or through the VPN, the external examiner would either need to be accessing the system on campus, or have a UoD account to login to the VPN.)
What next?
Those allocated to mark or moderate in ExamOnline can follow our Marking and moderating in ExamOnline guide.