Excel Grader
- Will the grader count off if the student puts his/her name in the workbook?
No. By default, Excel Grader does not count off for any extraneous values in fields.
NOTE: in the correct version of the workbook, the corresponding cell must be empty. - How does Excel Grader mark formulas?
Formulae are first graded by comparing their text strings. If the strings are not equal, Jens-Uwe Dolinsky's Symbolic computer algebra system is employed. In brief, the student's formula is subtracted from the correct formula and the expression is reduced. If the result is zero, the formula is accepted as correct. - What is the cell comment "Formula equivalent, but not identical"?
Points are not deducted when this comment is in a student's workbook. It means the students formula was not precisely the same as the teacher's formula, but was algebraically equivalent. One example is the correct formula: =B9+(10%*B9) and the student formula =B9*(1+10%). - Excel Grader is too strict.
Since Excel Grader accepts the instructor’s worksheet attributes as correct, non-equivalent student values are marked as incorrect. Extra spaces in student labels are marked. Excel Grader can differ between number formats and fonts that look almost identical (for example, Currency with no dollar sign versus Accounting with no dollar sign). Excel Grader grades negative number formatting for cells with Currency and Accounting formats.
Some ways to alleviate error overload:
· Turn off format grading
· Reduce the number of points deducted for certain error types
· Verify that the correct version is really accurate
· (it is usually a good practice to test the correct worksheet against a good student's) - What is the Unattended batch file?
Since workbook grading can take a long time, scheduling grading to run overnight may be helpful.
You can edit the Unattended batch file by
- Clicking Start -> All Programs -> Excel Grader
- Right click on the Unattended batch file and select edit.
The form of statements in the batch file is
call "c:\path\ExcelGrader.bat" "c:\path\CorrectFile" "c:\path\StudentFolder"
- Edit the last two parameters only. You may add a line for each assignment to be graded.
To schedule Unattended for overnight grading click:
- Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Scheduled Tasks
- Double click "Add scheduled task"
- Click Next, then browse to and select C:\Program Files\Excel Grader\Unattended.bat,
- Click Open
- Select Daily (or when you wish)
- Enter the time (for example 11:00 pm)
- Enter your user name and password, Click Next, then Finish
To check overnight grading, when you come in each morning, run Excel Grader and click Grade Report. - Why does the program skip files?
When Excel Grader encounters an unrecognizable error in a student workbook, it skips the workbook and continues grading the remainder of the files. Skipped workbooks are given a grade of -1 in the grade report. The instructor must grade these workbooks manually.
Occasionally an exception when processing a student workbook may cause the remainder of student workbooks not to be graded. Try to grade the folder a second time. If the folder still is not graded, remove the offending file from the student folder and re-grade the folder. - How does one gather and return assignments?
Instructors may choose to have students give them floppy disks, or submit files via ftp. If assignments are submitted as email attachments, the following programs may be useful:
Attachment Executive is a commercially available Outlook add-in for processing attachments and moving them to directories. Attachment Executive allows users to build rules for processing email attachments. Blat is a freeware command line tool for mailing graded Excel files as attachments. - Who wrote Excel Grader? How do I contact you?
The author of Excel Grader is Tom Hill, tomhill@dixie-net.com. Automated grading systems for Excel and Access assignments was the topic of my Ph.D. dissertation. - Has this research been published?
Yes. The paper is in the ACM digital library here.
MEAGER: Microsoft Excel automated grader | Full text | Pdf (1.33 MB) | Source | The Journal of Computing in Small Colleges archive
Volume 18 , Issue 6 (June 2003) table of contents Pages: 151 - 164 Year of Publication: 2003 | Author | Thomas G. Hill | University of Mississippi & Northeast Mississippi Community College Oxford & Booneville, MS |
| Publisher | The Consortium for Computing in Small Colleges USA |
For Online Instructors: 1. How do I add an Excel (or Access) assignment?
Click
the ADD drop down list on the right side of a course module block and
select ASSIGNMENT. Type the assignment name. The uploaded files will be
renamed to the assignment name plus the student's name. The description
is optional and displays when the assignment is clicked. Under
assignment type select: UPLOAD A SINGLE FILE. If you allow
resubmitting, the original grade would be replaced.. Change the grade
scale as you see fit. Update the due date for the assignment and Save
Changes.
2. How do students submit assignments?
Students
may click on Assignments in the Activities block in the left column of
the course web page. Next they click the assignment name. From there
they can browse, select the file to be submitted, then click upload.
3. How do I check student grades?
You
can look at individual grades by clicking Assignments, then "View xx
submitted assignments" link on the right hand side of the assignments
page. This allows you to see scores and download graded files (or
submitted and not yet graded files.)
You may download an Excel
file of all grades by clicking the Grades link on the course page.
Grades are listed on the page and a button is available for downloading
in Excel or text format.
4. How do I update student information (name, email address, password, etc.)?
Click
on "Participants" on the left side of the course page. Next click
"Login as" on the student whose data needs to be changed. Click
continue, then click "Edit profile" for the student. Change the user
data and then click save. You cannot change the username, but you will
be able to view it.
5. How are student submissions graded?
Student
files are compared to a correct version THE INSTRUCTOR MUST UPLOAD.
Click on the assignment and you will see the upload field for the
assignment key. Student documents can be uploaded, but will not be
graded until a correct key for the assignment is uploaded. |
