Grading and assessing student writing using Google docs and forms

A while back, I posted on using Google forms to collect assessment data as you grade.

Since then, I’ve been working to integrate my workflows for helping students to draft essays, marking up the finished essays in Google docs, and assessing the class’ work in forms.

Here’s what that workflow looks like right now.

Using Google forms as rubrics

Although most people associate rubrics with assessment, they’re also a great tool, in my view, for setting clear expectations on assignments and helping students understand how well they’ve met those expectations.

Recently, I’ve moved from the familiar grid-based rubric to using Google forms. For a given assignment, I create a form like the one below, keep it open while grading students’ essays, and after reading each essay quickly complete the form. I set the form to collect my email address each time I submit it, then select the option to have Google email me a copy of my answers. When the email hits my inbox, I forward it to the student whose essay I just read.

When I’ve completed the whole set of essays, I have a snapshot of how well student’s met my expectations in the aggregate and can share the results with the class.