Grading is very slow in Brightspace

Question

Why is grading so cumbersome and slow in D2L? Why do I have to click on the submitted document, then wait for it to appear, provide my feedback, and then click "publish", wait for it to publish, then click the arrow button to go to the next student? That's 3 clicks and waiting 3 times that greatly slows down my ability to grade quickly online.

Why don't the documents automatically appear when the grading view pops up, then there's 1 click to submit grades or better yet, why can't i just hit the enter key, and then the next student's submission automatically appears without me having to click next?

Is there a better, faster, more stream-lined way to grade in Brightspace? If so, please tell me.

Dan L.B.8161 · Answer

Please advise of these recommended grading instructions for Bright Space:

To simplify Brightspace grading, use features like Quick Eval for a centralized view of all submissions, interactive rubrics for consistent and fast scoring, and automatic zero grading for missing or late work to save manual effort. Additionally, utilize the annotation tools for inline feedback and the option to save as a draft before publishing, providing a flexible workflow for providing feedback. Streamline Your Grading Workflow

* Use Quick Eval: Access Quick Eval from the main navigation to view all your students' submissions for assignments, quizzes, and discussions in one place, allowing you to efficiently find and grade them. 
* Leverage Interactive Rubrics: Attach rubrics to assignments to provide a quick scoring process, ensuring consistency and saving time by allowing you to "click-and-score". 
* Automate Zero Grading: Enable the optional "Automatic Zero Grading" feature to automatically assign zeros for missing or late submissions, reducing manual work and providing students with an accurate view of their progress.

Provide Efficient Feedback

* Inline Annotations: Use the built-in annotation tools to provide direct feedback on submissions by highlighting text, adding notes, or using freehand drawing. 
* Attach Files: For more extensive feedback, attach files directly to a student's submission. 
* Save as a Draft: Use the "Save Draft" option to complete your evaluation without releasing it to the student immediately, giving you time to finalize your comments before publishing.

Publish Your Grades

* Publish Evaluations: Once you've finished providing feedback and assigning a grade, click "Publish" to make your evaluation available to the student. 
* Publish All Drafts: From the QuickHelp view, you can hover over the activity name, select "More Actions," and choose "Publish All" to release all your drafted evaluations at once.

~ Thank you @DBurkarth1  / Dallas College

Regina.J.1448 · Answer

Hi Monica.M.241

Thanks so much for re-affirming my frustrations with Brightspace. It's really sad when a very old, outdated version of Blackboard is grades more smoothly and quickly than this new LMS my college just adopted. I also agree that it is not intuitive or user friendly AT ALL. Sure, D2L gave my college a huge discount, which is why they adopted it, but was it worth it? This was not an upgrade for us; it was a lateral move at best. When will administrators and LMS developers begin to actually listen to educators who have "boots on the ground" every day experiences OL and in the classroom with grading, our students' needs, etc.? I truly wish my institution would've adopted Canvas instead, even though that is not without its issues too.

This is to whomever is monitoring this discussion at D2L. Go see what Canvas is doing and adopt those feature to D2L, so it runs more smoothly, efficiently, and is far more intuitive than it is now.

Monica.M.241 · Answer

Hi @Regina.J.1448 — I'm not sure what the above user is talking about. I completely agree with you. Quick Eval is very time consuming.

I use Quick Eval and it is SLOOOOOOOOOOW. So many clicks. So much time wasted. So long waiting for files to load. It doesn't auto-save.

Brightspace, if you're reading this — all teachers want is one tool that quickly moves through all the courses we teach. We just want to mark and mark fast. I don't want to go 'back' to the Quick Eval every time (EVERY TIME!!!) I need to mark a single assignment. Just give me a non-stop carousel of things that need to be marked. I don't care what course they're in. I just need to mark so I can have work/life balance. THIS is what teachers want.

Our school was mandated to use Brightspace by the provincial government. I hope they got a deal because WOW — not an intuitive system. So clicky. So time consuming.

I am also neurodivergent, so this platform is extra frustrating for me (and all the neurodivergent kids I teach…and their families…they are all frustrated with Brightspace).