Searching for Best Practice in the Successful use of Mark Schemes: Top Ten Tips for Successful Post-hoc Marking

Covid-19 has placed unprecedented pressure on higher education institutions, not least of which is the uncertainty introduced into planning, delivery and assessment of programmes of study. The flexibility and adaptability, which normally passes unnoticed in the day-to-day business of educators, has been brought into sharp focus. In this paper, we exploit this situation as an invaluable opportunity to explore common practices in marking assessments. In particular, we focus on the development and application of mark schemes in the marking of automated online assessments.
The performance of a student cohort undertaking a given assessment (either examination or coursework) is impacted by a range of factors including: the quality of prepared teaching materials; effectiveness of teaching processes; support provided by educational staff; relevance and understandability of the assessment descriptions; student engagement with learning processes; annual variation in the difficulty and complexity of assignments, etc.
It is extremely difficult to develop a fair and effective mark scheme prior to an assessment activity taking place (when the full impact of the previously listed factors is unknown). Established educational practice however requires an indicative marking guide to be developed before an assessment activity is undertaken. To reconcile these dual demands, pre-defined mark schemes are frequently adapted and actively interpreted during the marking process. The aim being to reach a fair and equitable final set of marks that reflect the lived experience of the assessment.
The authors represent three different disciplines from within the range of STEM subjects. They draw upon their diverse knowledge and experience in order to bring together a collection of insights and examples from their disparate educational practice. Both primary and secondary research methodologies are used to help identify effective and efficient best practice in this area. Essential to this is the consideration the problem from the perspective of numerous impacted stakeholders, including teaching staff, students, QA staff, external examiners and accrediting bodies.
The primary contribution of this paper is to compile a list of ""10 Top Tips"" - advice and guidance for educators in successfully adapting and refining mark schemes post-hoc, after the completion of assessment activities by students.