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Grading Assignments Using a Custom Marking Guide
Last modified on 15 August 2025 04:51 PM
NOTICE: Please be advised that the content of this article may only be relevant for users concluding the final stages of course work on eClass or for users on the eClass External system. The eClass Learning Management System is currently in a read-only state that prohibits new courses, enrollments, and users from being added to the site. Credit courses and co-curricular courses at the UofA are now being delivered on Canvas, and full articles on how to use Canvas can be found here.

Marking guides are one of the advanced grading methods available in the eClass assignment activity. Similar to rubrics, they allow you to set up a number of marking criteria for the assignment. But instead of selecting from fixed scoring levels on each criterion, instructors score students manually from the maximum score for each category. When marking assignments, instructors can also provide feedback for each category optionally using a pre-entered series of frequently used comments. eClass will automatically add the marks given for each of the marking criteria and provide students with a total mark and feedback for the assignment.



Setting up a Marking Guide:

  1. In your Assignment settings, select Marking guide for the 'Grading method' in the 'Grading' settings.
  2. Customize the rest of the assignment settings as desired.
  3. See the article Adding assignments for more detailed information.
  4. Click Save and Display.



  5. The first time you save an assignment with Marking guide as the grading method, a page will open so that you can 'Define a new grading form from scratch' or 'Create new grading form from a template':



  6. If you wish to define the grading form later or make changes to it, you can access it by clicking on going to your assignment's Advanced grading tab.



  7. To configure your new marking guide you must first enter a name. The name is important if you want to re-use this marking guide in other assignments.
  8. You can then begin customizing each criterion by specifying the content, description for students and/or markers and the maximum mark.
  9. To enter text, click directly on the specific items in each criterion.




  • Note: you can enter multiple lines of text along with the grade for the criteria in the Descriptions simply by pressing Enter at the end of each line, for example:
    • 0 - Submission is not coherent
    • 2 - Response produces an adequate argumentative structure
    • 5 - The argument is well-structured and persuasive

10. You may also wish to add snippets of text to be used as Frequently used comments for quickly adding common feedback items to student assignments.

11. Click the checkboxes to enable Show guide definition to students and Show marks per criterion to students if you wish to display the marking guide breakdown to students with all the descriptions and marks awarded for each criterion.



12. Finally, click Save marking guide and make it ready.

Grading using a Marking Guide:

  1. Once students have submitted their assignments, access the assignment grading table as usual by entering the assignment and clicking View all submissions.



  2. Click on the corresponding Grade button next to the student's submission.



  3. The marking guide will automatically be displayed on the grading page. Use the marking guide to grade student assignments and add feedback.





    4. Selecting the Insert frequently used comment button for a criterion will display a pop-up from which you can select the comment to append.



5. Remember to save changes.

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