Marking Quizzes

Quizzes containing free text questions or file upload assessments require manual marking by administrators before learners can complete courses and receive credit for their work. The marking process enables instructors to evaluate subjective responses, review uploaded materials, provide personalized feedback, and assign scores that reflect learner understanding and performance on open-ended assessments.

Timely quiz marking maintains learner momentum, provides valuable feedback that supports learning development, and ensures assessment integrity through human evaluation of complex responses that automated scoring cannot evaluate. Effective marking workflows balance thorough evaluation with responsive turnaround times that keep learners engaged and progressing through training programs.

Requirements

To mark quizzes, users must be assigned a security role with one of the following permissions:

• Administrator System Role
• Access Level: Training Manager, Manage Course Assignments

Quiz Marking Overview

Quiz marking workflows enable administrators to review learner submissions, assign marks for individual questions, provide instructor comments that explain scoring decisions and support learning, and request file reuploads when submissions contain errors or do not meet requirements. The marking process concludes with saving results that update learner progress and enable course completion.

Questions Requiring Manual Marking

Free Text Questions:

• Open-ended questions allowing learners to write extended responses, essays, or detailed explanations
• Require human evaluation to assess response quality, accuracy, completeness, and understanding
• Cannot be automatically scored due to subjective nature and varied acceptable answer approaches

File Upload Questions:

• Assessments requiring learners to upload documents, presentations, spreadsheets, images, recordings, or other file types
• Require instructor review to evaluate submitted work against assessment criteria and learning objectives
• May involve reviewing written reports, design projects, code submissions, audio recordings, video presentations, or screen recordings
• Enable assessment of complex work products that cannot be evaluated through multiple-choice or keyword questions

Marking Notification Workflow

Learner submission:

1. Learners complete quizzes containing free text or file upload questions
2. Upon quiz submission, learners enter Pending status awaiting instructor marking
3. Course administrators receive automatic email notifications about pending quiz submissions requiring review

Administrator notification:

• Email notifications alert administrators when learners submit quizzes requiring marking
• Notifications include learner names, course names, and quiz information
• Notification settings are configured in Training Module Settings under General tab

Marking interfaces:

• Pending quizzes appear in multiple locations for flexible marking workflows
• Administrators can access marking interfaces through Dashboard, course pages, or user pages
• All marking interfaces provide equivalent functionality—location choice depends on administrator workflow preferences

Marking Quiz Locations

Administrators can access pending quizzes requiring marking through three primary interfaces, each offering advantages for different workflow contexts and administrative tasks.

Dashboard Marking Required Widget

The Dashboard provides centralized visibility of all pending quizzes across courses, enabling quick assessment of marking workload and direct access to marking interfaces.

Accessing through Dashboard:

1. Navigate to the Training module Dashboard
2. Locate the Marking Required widget displaying pending quiz submissions
3. Review the list of learners and quizzes awaiting marking
4. Click on the quiz name or learner name to open the marking interface
5. Complete marking workflow and save results
6. Return to Dashboard to process additional pending quizzes

Dashboard marking advantages:

• Centralized view of all pending quizzes across multiple courses
• Quick assessment of total marking workload at a glance
• Efficient workflow for processing marking queue systematically
• No navigation through individual courses required
• Prioritization capabilities based on submission timing or learner needs

Dashboard default state: When no quizzes require marking, the Marking Required widget displays: "No quizzes are waiting to be marked."

Course Page Marking Workflow

Course-specific marking enables focused review of quizzes within individual courses, supporting context-aware evaluation and course-centered administrative workflows.

Accessing through Course Pages:

1. Navigate to the Training module and select the Courses tab
2. Click the name of the course containing quizzes requiring marking
3. Select the Users tab within the course
4. Click the Pending sub-tab displaying learners with submissions awaiting review
5. Click the learner's name to access their quiz submission
6. The quiz marking interface opens with the learner's responses displayed
7. Complete marking workflow and save results

Course page marking advantages:

• Context-aware marking within specific course environments
• Easy access to course content for reference during evaluation
• Efficient workflow when marking multiple submissions for the same course
• Course-specific marking priorities based on due dates or program importance
• Integration with course management tasks during content review or updates

User Page Marking Workflow

User-focused marking enables comprehensive review of individual learner submissions across multiple courses, supporting learner-centered evaluation and progress monitoring.

Accessing through User Pages:

1. Navigate to the Training module and select the Users tab
2. Click the user's name whose quiz requires marking
3. Select the Pending tab on the user's detail page
4. Click the course name containing the quiz requiring marking
5. The quiz marking interface opens displaying the learner's submission
6. Complete marking workflow and save results

User page marking advantages:

• Comprehensive view of individual learner's pending submissions across courses
• Efficient workflow when managing specific learner's complete training progress
• Context about learner's overall performance and training history
• Prioritization based on learner-specific needs or support requirements
• Integration with broader user management tasks and learner communication

Marking Quiz Workflow

The quiz marking process follows consistent steps regardless of which interface administrators use to access pending submissions. The marking workflow evaluates learner responses, assigns appropriate scores, provides instructor feedback, and handles file upload issues when necessary.

Opening the Marking Interface

1. Access pending quiz submissions through Dashboard, Course page, or User page
2. Click the quiz name or learner name to open the marking interface
3. The marking page displays:
   • Learner information (name, submission date)
   • Quiz name and course context
   • All questions in the quiz with learner responses
   • Marking fields for each question requiring evaluation
   • Action buttons to save results or request reuploads

Reviewing Learner Responses

For free text questions:

1. Read the question text to understand what was asked
2. Review the learner's written response in its entirety
3. Evaluate response quality based on:
   • Accuracy and correctness of information provided
   • Completeness in addressing all aspects of the question
   • Depth of understanding demonstrated in the explanation
   • Organization and clarity of written communication
   • Application of concepts to scenarios or examples when appropriate
4. Compare response against assessment rubrics, learning objectives, or answer guidelines
5. Consider partial credit for responses showing some understanding but with gaps or errors

For file upload questions:

1. Review the question text to understand submission requirements
2. Locate the uploaded file link or download option
3. Download or open the submitted file for review
4. Evaluate submitted work based on:
   • Completion of all required components or sections
   • Quality and accuracy of work product
   • Demonstration of skills or knowledge assessed by the assignment
   • Adherence to formatting, length, or technical requirements
   • Creativity, thoroughness, or professionalism as appropriate
5. Note any technical issues with file uploads (corrupted files, wrong format, empty submissions)

Entering Marks for Questions

1. Locate the marking field beside each question requiring evaluation
2. Enter the marks earned by the learner for that question
3. Marks are typically numeric values based on the question's configured point value
4. Award full points for complete, accurate responses meeting all requirements
5. Award partial points for responses showing partial understanding or meeting some requirements
6. Award zero points for incorrect, incomplete, or missing responses
7. Ensure marks do not exceed the maximum points configured for each question
8. Be consistent in applying marking standards across similar responses from different learners

Marking considerations:

• Use the full marking scale rather than clustering around minimum passing scores
• Recognize excellent work with full marks to motivate learners and acknowledge achievement
• Provide partial credit generously to encourage learning and recognize effort
• Apply marking standards consistently across all learners taking the same assessment
• Document internal rubrics or guidelines to support consistent marking by multiple administrators

Providing Instructor Comments

For all question types:

1. Locate the Instructor's Comment field below each question
2. Enter feedback explaining the score, highlighting strengths, and identifying improvement areas
3. Write comments that support learning rather than simply justifying marks
4. Use constructive language that encourages continued learning and development

Effective instructor comments:

• Explain scoring decisions: Help learners understand why they received specific marks
• Highlight strengths: Acknowledge correct elements and strong aspects of responses
• Identify gaps: Point out missing information, errors, or areas needing improvement
• Provide guidance: Suggest resources, review topics, or approaches for mastering concepts
• Be encouraging: Maintain positive, supportive tone that motivates continued learning
• Be specific: Reference particular aspects of responses rather than generic feedback
• Keep proportionate: Brief comments for simple questions, detailed feedback for complex assessments

Example instructor comments:

Strong response example: "Excellent work! Your explanation clearly demonstrates understanding of the key concepts and you provided relevant examples that illustrate practical application. Your response shows thorough comprehension of the material."

Partial credit example: "Good start—you correctly identified the main concept and explained it well. However, you missed addressing the impact on customer satisfaction, which was an important part of the question. Review the section on customer experience for a more complete understanding."

Needs improvement example: "Your response shows some understanding but misses several key points. Please review the lesson on compliance requirements, paying particular attention to the legal obligations section. Consider retaking the lesson and attempting the quiz again to improve your understanding."

Handling File Upload Issues

For file upload questions, administrators have additional options to address submission problems:

Requesting file reuploads:

1. Review uploaded files to identify issues (corrupted files, wrong format, incomplete submissions, technical errors)
2. Enter comments in the Instructor's Comment field explaining the problem and what learners should resubmit
3. Select the Reupload is required? checkbox
4. Enter marks if the current submission deserves partial credit or enter zero if reupload must replace the score
5. Save the marking results
6. The learner receives notification that file reupload is required along with instructor comments explaining what needs correction
7. Learners can resubmit files to address identified issues
8. Resubmissions return to Pending status for subsequent marking

File upload comment examples:

Technical issue: "The file you uploaded appears to be corrupted and won't open. Please resubmit your project report in PDF or Word format. Ensure the file opens properly before uploading."

Wrong format: "You uploaded a text description instead of the required presentation file. Please create a slide presentation covering the key points outlined in the assignment instructions and upload the presentation file."

Incomplete submission: "Your submission only includes Part 1 of the assignment. Please upload a complete file containing all three required sections (Analysis, Recommendations, and Implementation Plan)."

Quality issue: "The audio recording quality is too poor to evaluate your presentation properly. Please record again in a quieter environment with better microphone positioning and resubmit."

Saving Marking Results

1. After entering marks for all questions and providing appropriate instructor comments
2. Review all entered marks to verify accuracy and ensure no questions were skipped
3. Verify instructor comments are clear, helpful, and appropriately supportive
4. Click the Save button to finalize marking and update learner progress
5. The marking interface closes or returns to the previous page
6. The learner's quiz submission moves from Pending status to appropriate completion status
7. Learners receive notifications that their quiz has been marked with results and feedback
8. Learners can view marks, instructor comments, and quiz results based on quiz display settings

Post-save effects:

• Learner progress updates to reflect quiz completion
• Quiz results contribute to overall course completion calculations
• Learners can proceed to subsequent course content if quiz was blocking progression
• Course completion may trigger if this was the final requirement
• Certificates become available for download if course completion was achieved

Best Practices and Recommendations

Marking Timeliness

Establish marking schedules: Process pending quizzes on regular schedules (daily, twice weekly) to maintain predictable turnaround times

Prioritize by due dates: Mark quizzes for learners with approaching course due dates first to avoid blocking completion

Communicate expectations: Inform learners about typical marking turnaround times (24-48 hours, 2-3 business days) so they can plan accordingly

Address urgent needs: Expedite marking for learners with time-sensitive completion requirements or compliance deadlines

Monitor marking queues: Check Marking Required widget regularly to prevent backlogs that slow learner progression

Coordinate marking teams: If multiple administrators mark quizzes, distribute workload equitably and communicate about marking coverage

Marking Consistency

Develop rubrics: Create detailed assessment rubrics defining what constitutes excellent, good, acceptable, and unacceptable responses

Document standards: Maintain internal guidelines explaining how to evaluate common response types and assign marks

Calibrate across markers: When multiple administrators mark quizzes, review sample responses together to align scoring standards

Reference examples: Keep examples of responses at different quality levels to guide consistent evaluation

Apply standards uniformly: Mark all learners using the same criteria regardless of their history, status, or organizational affiliation

Review outliers: If marks for a particular learner differ significantly from others, double-check evaluation to ensure fairness

Effective Feedback

Prioritize learning: Write comments that help learners improve rather than simply justifying marks awarded

Be specific: Reference particular aspects of responses rather than providing generic feedback

Balance critique: Acknowledge strengths before discussing weaknesses to maintain learner motivation

Provide resources: Suggest specific lessons, materials, or topics to review for improvement

Encourage retry: For failed quizzes, motivate learners to learn from feedback and attempt again

Keep professional: Maintain respectful, supportive tone even when responses are significantly below standards

File Upload Management

Set clear requirements: Ensure quiz questions specify expected file formats, size limits, and content requirements

Test file types: Verify that requested file formats are supported by the upload system before deployment

Review submission issues: If multiple learners experience upload problems, investigate whether technical issues exist

Provide reupload guidance: Give clear, specific instructions when requesting reuploads so learners understand what to correct

Allow reasonable reattempts: Be flexible with reupload opportunities for technical issues beyond learner control

Document problematic patterns: Track recurring upload issues and address them through improved instructions or system updates

Administrative Efficiency

Batch similar quizzes: Mark all submissions for the same quiz in succession to maintain consistent evaluation standards

Use templates for common feedback: Develop template comments for frequent scenarios while personalizing for individual learners

Leverage marking interface features: Use any available features like comment templates, saved feedback, or bulk marking capabilities

Track marking time: Monitor how long marking takes to estimate capacity and inform quiz design decisions

Coordinate with content owners: Share marking insights with course developers to improve question design and clarity

Maintain marking logs: Keep records of unusual marking situations or decisions for future reference

Quality Assurance

Review quiz design: If many learners struggle with particular questions, evaluate whether questions are clear and fair

Monitor score distributions: Track whether mark distributions reflect expected learner performance patterns

Seek feedback: Ask learners whether feedback was helpful and what additional guidance would support their learning

Audit marking: Periodically review marked quizzes to ensure quality and consistency of evaluation

Update rubrics: Refine assessment criteria based on marking experience and learner performance patterns

Share best practices: Communicate effective marking approaches across administrator teams

Troubleshooting Tips

Cannot Find Quizzes to Mark

Verify quiz types: Confirm courses contain free text or file upload questions—other question types don't require marking

Check submission status: Ensure learners have actually submitted quizzes rather than just starting them

Review permissions: Verify you have Manage Course Assignments permissions required for marking

Confirm course access: Ensure you have access to courses containing the quizzes based on sharing settings and permissions

Refresh interfaces: Reload Dashboard or course pages to display latest pending submissions

Marks Not Saving

Verify all questions marked: Ensure you entered marks for every question requiring evaluation before saving

Check mark validity: Confirm marks don't exceed maximum points configured for questions

Review required fields: Ensure any required instructor comment fields are completed before saving

Test browser compatibility: Try marking in different browsers if save functions don't respond

Check network connectivity: Ensure stable internet connection for saving marks to the system

Learners Not Receiving Feedback

Verify quiz display settings: Check that quiz is configured to show results to learners after marking

Review notification settings: Ensure marking completion notifications are enabled in Training Module Settings

Confirm email addresses: Verify learners have valid email addresses for receiving notifications

Check result display options: Review quiz settings determining when and how learners see marked results

Test learner view: Use Learner View to verify that marked quizzes display results as intended

File Uploads Won't Open

Check file formats: Verify files are in supported formats that can be opened with available software

Test different programs: Try opening files with alternative programs if default applications fail

Download before opening: Download files to your computer rather than attempting to open in browser

Request reupload: Ask learners to resubmit in different formats or with compression if files are problematic

Investigate technical issues: Report persistent file access problems to technical support for investigation

Inconsistent Marking Standards

Review rubrics together: Have marking teams discuss assessment criteria and calibrate standards

Examine score distributions: Analyze whether different markers award significantly different marks for similar responses

Document decisions: Maintain records explaining marking rationale for complex or borderline cases

Provide examples: Share representative responses at different quality levels to guide consistent evaluation

Establish review process: Implement peer review of marked assessments to maintain quality and consistency

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