How do I use SpeedGrader?

The SpeedGrader menu includes several tools and resources to assist with grading assignments.

The left side of the menu includes general settings and options:

• Gradebook Icon: Return to the Gradebook [1].
• Mute Icon: Mutes or unmutes the assignment [2].
• Keyboard Icon: Opens a list of keyboard shortcuts for SpeedGrader [3].
• Help Icon: Opens the help menu [4]. 
• Settings Icon: Opens the SpeedGrader Settings menu [5].

The center of the menu bar includes assignment information and overall grading information. Assignment information includes the name of the assignment [1], assignment due date [2], and the name of the course [3].

To view the assignment, click the name of the assignment. To return to the Course Home Page, click the name of the course.

Grading information includes assignment statistics, including the number of assignments that have been graded out of the total number of submissions [4] and the average score and percentage [5].

The right side of the menu bar includes the student list for the assignment. SpeedGrader opens the assignment for the first student listed in the student list, arranged alphabetically by last name.

To display the list of students in the course, click the drop-down arrow [1].

If your course includes more than one section, students are displayed according to the section shown in the Gradebook [2]. By default, the Gradebook shows all sections, though you can select a specific section to view. Note that this option is only available to instructors; admins cannot filter assignments by section.

When you view a submission, the student which student submission you are viewing in the student list compared to the total number of students [3].

Once you have selected a student, view the student's assignment in the main body of SpeedGrader.

Depending on the assignment and submission type, the SpeedGrader preview window may vary. For example, a website URL submission type will appear in the main body of SpeedGrader with the option to open the URL in a new tab. Some website URL submissions cannot be viewed in Perceivant and must be viewed in a new tab.

To provide comments on document submissions, you can:

• Use Crocodoc to mark up .pdf, .doc/.docx, and .ppt/.pptx assignments directly in SpeedGrader
• Download the submission, put feedback on the document, and re-upload the submission

When you open SpeedGrader for a particular assignment, you will see each individual submission, the date and time that it was submitted [1], and a red notification if the assignment was submitted after the due date [2]. If an assignment can be downloaded, you can view the name of the submission and a download link [3].

To submit a grade for the student's assignment, enter the grade in the Grade field [1].

If a rubric is attached to the assignment, you can view the rubric by clicking the View Rubric button [2]. If your rubric is set up for grading, the Grade field will automatically populate with the rubric grade results.

In the Assignment Comments section, you can post comments to the student. Any comments that have been made by the student also appear in this section.

If you would like to submit a comment on the evaluated assignment, type in the Add a Comment field [1]. You can also attach a file or a media comment by clicking one of the media icons [2]. When you are ready to submit your comment, click the Submit button [3].

Assignment comments also display as a new thread in Conversations.

Note: If you navigate away from a SpeedGrader page before submitting your comment(s), Perceivant generates a message warning that you have unsaved comments on the page.

Once you grade the submission, the student's assignment indicator changes to a green check mark, indicating the submission has been graded.

You can view the next student's submission by clicking the arrow button next to the student list.

When evaluating group assignments, the SpeedGrader drop-down menu displays the name of each group, unless the group assignment is graded individually. Evaluating group assignments is the same process as individual students. You can mark up documents directly or download them for feedback, enter grades and view the rubric, and post and view comments. Learn more about grading group assignments.

If a submission is unable to be graded, the submission may be part of a moderated assignment that was not added to a moderation set and does not accept submissions from multiple graders.