Evolution of a digital paper exam grading system

We describe the evolution of a system designed to allow digital grading, by a human, of traditional paper-based exams or homework assignments. We present a number of new features that build upon the system described in a paper previously published in ITiCSE 2008. In particular, our system now has the ability to monitor an enormous range of data, from individual question scores, to variances for the same questions across different graders, to question and exam statistics from one semester to the next. The system boasts a number of benefits over paper based grading. Overall grading time is reduced - small courses will see a modest improvement, while large courses can see their grading time cut in half due to the automation of many of the tasks: flipping to the correct page, summing up the pages, recording the grades, returning the exams, etc. Rapid grading of exams can also aid students in a better understanding of the material, as the exam questions are still fresh in their minds when the tests are returned. Simultaneous grading across multiple locations is possible, as there is no single paper copy to hand off to the next grader. Permanent digital records are kept of the exams, allowing for viewing of exams at a later date.