Student Motivation & the Remarking Process

Student Motivation & the Remarking Process Presented by Jirayu Chotimongkol Victoria Management School (VMS)

Marking is…. A complex process that serves multiple roles, including …..

Marking is… (continue) • Evaluation • Motivation • Communication (Walvoord & Anderson, 1998)

How remarking is important? …. It may jeopardise a student’s motivation, if their remarked grade remains the same … their motivation may decrease …..

So as a tutor, what do we need to do? • Appropriate strategies to handle the situation • Awareness of how the remarking process effects student motivation

Objectives for this workshop • To enhance an awareness of how the remarking process may have an impact on student motivation • To share practical strategies and/or solutions and/or experiences towards the issue/s

What we will do.. • Work on two case studies and; • Find some solutions & suggestions towards the issues • Discuss & share our own experiences

Case Study 1 A group of students did a presentation in class where the tutor was required to mark the presentation in the class. Once the marks were distributed to the students, they were dissatisfied and asked for a remark. However, there was a problem here, since there was a lack of recorded evidence from the presentation. On the one hand, if the tutor increases the mark for this group, others may ask for their presentation to be remarked and it may cause extra hassle. On the other hand, if the tutor decides to let the mark stand, students have no evidence from their presentation to show other tutors or the course co-ordinator so it cannot be remarked. This causes anger and frustration among the students and their participation reduces. What could be the solution for this scenario? It can be unfair to both student and tutor.

Case Study 2 An international student was about to fail the course and approached the tutor for help and remarking of previous work. She begged for the tutor to be considerate about how much it will cost her to re-enrol again. The student had been working really hard during the term and the tutor recognised her/his effort. However, their performance did not meet the standard and they will fail without your consideration. What would be your decision that would be fair to all students and also the failing student? What could be the solution for the tutor?

My 1st Solution • Have the presentation filmed and; • Explain reasons why they received a low mark and; • Identify what they did not do well as opposed to what they did well in their work

By doing so, a tutor may need … • A marking criteria (on a separate sheet) • Permission from the course-coordinator to film the presentation • To give advice on how to improve student performance

My 2nd Solution The 1st tutorial is crucial; we can …. • set up the boundaries of the tutors’ responsibilities • start to observe the students’ grades and their behaviours

My 2nd Solution (continued) • Clarify the implication of how students might be affected if their marks remain the same • Provide information about the students’ rights to appeal and; • Be prepared to change your mark if a student presents a valid argument

The Case of International Students • Relate their case to my own experiences and; • Encourage them to continue working hard and show that you are confident in their abilities

Next, what do we have to do? • Being honest and open about students’ work • Being aware of ‘halo effects’ • Being supportive • Show sympathy & understand where students are coming from

Outcomes • Gain trust & respect from students • Improving student motivation in the long-term • Enjoy the tutoring experience

Enjoy your marking & Good Luck! Thank you

Student Motivation & the Remarking Process