Marking Final Assessments (Turnitin)

Registrars send an Excel results sheet and marker’s report form to each tutor (3-5 days before the due date of the assessment task).
Tutors need to enter in the mark for each student and fill in the marker’s report form.
Tutors will then email both documents back to registrars. We have a 2-week turnaround time between the assessment due date and us receiving the results back from the markers.
Tutors will also need to fill in the marking criteria form on Turnitin for each student as they mark

Email from the Registrar’s Department

1. Results Spreadsheet

Please return results to the Registrar’s Department as soon as possible (within 2 weeks). The results spreadsheet will state the date by which you are to return the results to the Registrar’s Department.

How to complete the results sheet:

Check the number in Column C just above the word “Result”. The system will calculate the mark out of 100 in column D.
Please also check that cell E7 has the correct type of assessment task (either A=Assessment or E=Exam) – this will change the type of Grade listed in the Grade column.

Enter data into the results column. The comments column is there in case you need to record any details for the Registrar’s Department. Find the correct student number (Ctrl/Cmd + F), then enter the numerical mark into the results column. Please note that you do not need to change the results into a percentage before entering it into the results spreadsheet.
At the bottom of the spreadsheet are three tabs. You only need to enter data into the Results worksheet – please do not change anything on either the Graphs or GradeLookup worksheets as these are used for Moderation. Please do not change the format of the spreadsheet (eg. printer settings, margins, borders, fonts).

2. Marker’s Report

Each marker is to complete a marker’s report of no more than 500 words. Please return your report to the Registrar’s Department as soon as possible.
The following points can be included in your report:

The number of candidates choosing each question
Comments on the general standard of answers with respect to the grade guides and style guides
Comments on unusually high or low average or low ‘spread’ for the set of marks
Comments on any questions not well understood by students
Comments on any questions which have been less effective in discriminating between better-performing students and lesser performing students
Comments on any areas of the syllabus which may need more emphasis in the future
Any comments which may assist the Head of Department or lecturer to improve the effectiveness of the course
Any other comments considered relevant

Please return the marker’s report to the Registrar’s department as a Word Document (not a pdf).

Marking Papers Using Turnitin

Log onto the MOD.
Choose the unit which you will be marking by clicking on it.
Scroll to the Thematic Assignment Submission to select the assessment item to be marked.
Scroll down to the first student assignment and click on the blue pencil. The document will open in Turnitin’s Feedback Studio.

Start marking the first student’s work. (Details in the next section).
Make sure to close Feedback Studio when you have marked an essay, and then open the next one by clicking on the relevant little blue pencil. (This ensures you always open the latest version of the assignment.)
Remember to record your %marks on the results sheet from the email as you go along and not on Turnitin. If you get a duplicate assignment for one student, click on the information icon to see the date and time of submission and then mark the last submission.
When you need to stop marking, simply close the Feedback Studio window – your changes are saved as you type; you don’t need to tell the system to save.
Do not put the mark or grade in the normal position.

Using Feedback Studio to mark an assignment

Open the first assignment in Feedback Studio, as detailed in the previous section.
Click on the Layers button on the right-hand side.
Make sure both the Grading and the Similarity boxes are checked.

Using the Similarity Report to check for instances of plagiarism

You can now use the icons on the Similarity Toolbar to view instances of similarity. This is a good place to start the marking as it will quickly give you an idea if you need to be concerned about potential plagiarism or not. You can change the options for the report using the Filter icon.

If you do not want the similarity finds to show, simply click on the checkbox again to deselect it.
For more information on interpreting and using Turnitin Similarity Reports:
Navigating the Similarity Report

Adding comments to the assignment

Text Comments

Simply click where you want to make a comment and select from the three options that appear:

QuickMarks. Click on the QuickMarks icon. This will give you a list of comments that can be dragged and dropped for quick comments. You can also customize the comments.
Bubble Comment. Click on the Comment icon. Type a comment in the box that appears. Simply click away from the box when you are finished typing.
InLine Text Click on the InLine icon. Simply type what you want to say and then move away from the box when done. This can be repositioned if required by using a simple drag and drop. Students can reposition your inline comments but cannot amend them.

Highlighting Text

Click and drag across the text you want to highlight. When you stop dragging, the three options above will appear. Normally you would use the bubble comment to add a comment which relates to the highlighted text.

Instructor Feedback

Click on the Instructor Feedback icon. This allows you to add your “Overall” comment about the assessment. Simply type in the Text Comment area on the right-hand side. Please include your name and the grade (not the %) in the Text Comments area.

Rubric (Marking Grid)

Please see “Using a Turnitin Marking Rubric” for more information.

Customising your QuickMarks

QuickMarks already has a set of comments that you can drop and drop when marking students’ work. You can also customise QuickMarks to include comments that you use frequently. While in Feedback Studio, with a student’s work open, click on the QuickMarks icon.

On the right-hand side you can see the comments that are already created for your use. If you want to use one of the comments already there, click on it to see the explanation below.

Simply drag and drop the QuickMark to the position on the student’s assignment where you want it to appear. The student will see the short form of the comment but can click on it to see the explanation. To create your own QuickMark, simply click in the student’s assignment and select the Comment icon. Type what you want and then click on Convert to QuickMark. Add the details as needed and click on Save.

You will notice that the comment created in step above is now showing as one of your QuickMarks. Next time you want to use it, just drag and drop it into the assignment you are marking or click in the assignment, select QuickMarks and then select the QuickMark you want to use. You can drag and drop it to a new position if required.
You can amend your own or remove any of the QuickMarks already there by clicking on the Cog.

Using the Turnitin Marking Rubric

You must use the built-in rubric (marking grid) while marking the assignment. From within a student assignment, click on the Rubric icon (on the right-hand side).
The Rubric side panel appears on the right-hand side of the screen. As you click on the points of the sliding bars, the description appears at the bottom
Or
You can click on the Expand icon to view the rubric in a full-size window.
If you expand to the full window, click to select the appropriate grades and then click on the Close button to return to the assignment.

Finishing Marking

When you have finished marking one essay, close Feedback Studio and then open the next essay by clicking on the relevant little blue pencil. (This ensures you always open the latest version of the assignment.) When you have completed marking all the assignments, simply close the browser.

Registrars process and return results

The registrars department will release the submissions and their feedback through Turnitin and send an email with the grade (e.g. Distinction, Credit) after the results have been processed. Students will then receive their transcript with actual marks.

What do I do when…

…a student needs to be downgraded?
Markers do not downgrade students – the Registrar’s Department will apply any downgrades to the marks. When you award a mark, ensure it is for the work that has been presented – do not penalise the student for anything outside the marking guide. If you believe a student needs to be downgraded, let the Registrar’s Department know when you email the marking spreadsheet and marker's report.

…the word count is over or under the limit?
Let the Registrar’s Department know by how many words the student was over the limit when you email the marking spreadsheet and marker's report. Do not downgrade the student or contact the student directly. No action need be taken if the student is under the limit.

…when assignments have been submitted late?
See “Check that all your papers have been marked and returned” above.

…a student requests a remark?
MTC has an Academic Grievance (Appeals) Policy which can be found on the MOD. All requests for re-marks must go through the Re-Mark Appeal process and all appeals must be approved by the Academic Dean before the paper is forwarded to a second marker for marking. Students are advised to discuss their paper with the Course Coordinator before applying for a re-mark.

Papers are not remarked by the original marker
Students must appeal through the Re-mark Appeal process on the MOD
Appeals must be approved by the Academic Dean before papers are re-marked by a second marker

DBT Tutor Resources

How do I mark final assessments? (Turnitin)