Before each exam

Jim Davies will send you versions of the exam to proofread. Check for errors, confusing questions, and make sure the questions are numbered correctly. 

After the exam

When the scantron sheets come in, bring them and the answer key (From Jim Davies) to the EDC on the 4th floor and turn them in.

Put your email address on it so that it gets sent to you.

When they are scanned, you'll get an email from the EDC, usually within a few days.

Go on CULearn and make sure that the "course total" column is not visible to students.

When you get the results

Open the email and look at the "problem IDs" and try to resolve them, manually entering grades where needed on cuLearn.

Search the file called "Exam Stats" for a ?

this might mean that a question was miskeyed. If it was, email the scanning person and ask that the marks be changed so that the error is fixed. They can do this without rescanning the scantrons.

If no questions are miskeyed or have super low rates of student's getting it right, then go on to CULearn and "release" the grades. This means:

• click "grades" in the leftmost column.
• click the "setup" tab.
• by the exam, find the dropdown "edit" text. Click it and click the crossed out eye icon.
• Click save at the bottom.

Go get the scantrons and keep them safe in your office.

Send information to the TAs

Send an email to the TAs (and CC Dr. Davies), attaching the zip file from the EDC that you got, as well as a copy of the exam.

In the body of the email, write:

"Hello Teaching Assistants,

Attached is a zip file. In the file you will find a text file called "advising report." This has information about each student, the answers they put on the exam, which ones they got wrong, and what the correct answers are. When a student comes into your office hours to discuss the exam, you will use their row of information to help them with the questions they got wrong. Here is how you read it: There is a list of things like

3B>C,4A>B,6B>A,8B>C,17A>B,21B>A,33C>B,34C>B,35C>A,38A>B;

This means that they got #3 wrong. They guessed B but the correct option was C. They got 4 wrong too. They guessed A when the correct answer was B. The score on cuLearn is a percentage correct score. As more exams come in (deferrals) you will get more files like these. When a student comes in, you must find their row.

Don't show students the rows of other students. Copy their row and put it in another file for you two to look at.

Do not ever let students leave with a copy of the exam, and do not let them write down questions. Dr. Davies reuses questions every year and we can't let them out into the wild!"

Inform the Students that the grades are released

Then put a message on the course discussion board for the students.

Send the zip files to the other TAs so that they can help students answer questions about the exams in their office hours. 

If the mean is about 66% that's good for a first year multiple choice exam. If it's much lower or higher, talk to Jim. 

Items which have proportion correct values lower than 30% are items which should be considered 
 for possible deletion.

However, in making this decision the discrimination value for the item should also be 
 taken into account.

Also look at the analysis of the questions and look for ones with a low discrimination index. 

Look for questions that have a ? next to them. They might simply be miskeyed. Email the scanning person at EDC to have the key changed and the grades updated (ideally before the grades are made visible by students.) This can be done without rescanning. 

As the disabled (PMC) students' exams and deferred exams come in, you will need to get them scanned too. After each upload of grades, the EDC hides the grades. Please make them visible on cuLearn as soon as you can (after bad questions are dealt with). 

Students who have trouble with grades might email Jim or you. Jim will forward these emails to you to handle.