In some tertiary courses here they use unit standards. The answer is not judged correct unless it has exactly the words the marker wants. The only way to get A s is to memorise and regurgitate the notes handed out by instruction.
This really doesn't seem like education to me.
It isn't.
But do NOT expect that to change anytime soon. Guess what? This is reaching into
higher ed these days.
Y'all are living in the dark ages if human beings are still grading student work in the first place. This is a job for automation.
{sarcasm} Thanks, Pearson Web-solutions for Education(tm).
{/sarcasm}
For some reason this reminds me of the year that #1's school switched to Pearson eTexts. The history teacher was initially unaware that there were quizzes embedded in the text that students could practice until they reached 100%. After a disastrous attempt at compiling her own exams (a long story involving test questions with no connection to the text, and technical difficulties with the tests supplied with the curriculum), the presence of these quizzes was pointed out to her, so she started using the same questions for actual paper quizzes. (Had to ask #1 how to screen capture and print them, though.) It's amazing how test scores rose after that!
As to automated grading: quite often, teachers don't set eyes on the work products or assessments at all. We routinely use computer-adaptive assessments for reading comprehension, essays, mathematics, vocational skills, even employability/soft skills.
