Software
AnswerBook is an online examination platform. It allows candidates to take exams remotely, providing either typed answers, multiple-choice answers, or uploading images of handwritten answers (e.g. for mathematical questions). During an exam AnswerBook provides an invigilation dashboard giving an overview of all candidates, and allows examiners to make virtual announcements for corrections or other information. When the exam has finished, it provides a structured workflow for markers, supporting horizontal marking and automated marking.
eMarking supports a collaborative marking workflow for coursework. It allows course leaders to manage how assignments are distributed amongst their team of tutorial assistants, and to monitor their marking progress. Markers can collaborate and cross-reference with other markers in order to maintain consistency in grades and feedback given. When marking is complete, it can be approved by the module leader and published to be viewed by students. Students can access all of their marked coursework for all of their modules in one place.
The Scientia project is our new Virtual Learning Environment, organising all of the course materials, assessments, timelines, feedback and other information that students need during their studies within one portal. Scientia is being developed in collaboration with students, and has had significant contributions from student developers, particularly in terms of the design of user experience, mobile compatibility, and the overall workflow and organisation of information.
Our new peer-assessment tool allows team members to give each other feedback during group projects. Module leaders can set up peer-assessment points related to their projects through the self-service interface. Group members then give feedback and rate their team mates on various criteria. Feedback can be moderated before it is returned in an anonymised form, letting students know whether their own performance is in line with the overall group average, or whether they need to improve in order to meet their team-mates' expectations.
