Anonymous marking
This guidance is designed to help tutors understand why anonymity is important and offer practical suggestions as to how to manage the process.
The benefits and issues of anonymous marking
Anonymous marking involves the marker having no access to identifying information about the student during the grading process. In 2008, the NUS launched a ‘Mark my Words’ campaign to get universities to adopt anonymous marking. This was based on studies that suggested marking was affected when the identity of the student is known. In addition, some names may suggest ethnic background or gender, and this can influence affect the marking process. Hence, the primary benefit of anonymous marking is that it helps to reduce bias (or the perception of bias) and increase fairness in the assessment process.
Benefits of anonymous marking in higher education
- Reduced bias: Anonymous marking can help to reduce bias in the assessment process, as markers are not influenced by factors such as a student's name, gender or background. This may relate to the ‘halo effect’ whereby students with a history of strong performance are marked more generously.
- Improved feedback: Anonymous marking can lead to more constructive and useful feedback for students, as markers are focused on the work itself rather than the student's identity.
- Greater confidence in assessment outcomes: By reducing the potential for bias, anonymous marking can increase confidence in the fairness of assessment outcomes and improve overall trust in the assessment process.
Risks and limitations of anonymous marking in higher education
- Increased workload: Anonymous marking can be time-consuming and require additional administrative effort, as it involves removing identifying information from student work and managing the marking process in a way that maintains anonymity.
- Reduced personalisation: Anonymous marking can make it more difficult for markers to provide personalised feedback to students, as they are not able to take into account the student's background or previous work. As a result, feedback can feel ‘disconnected’ from the recipient.
- Incomplete removal of bias: markers can still be influenced by factors such as writing style or language proficiency.
- Potential for cheating: anonymous marking can make cheating harder to identify, as markers may not be able to if a student has submitted uncharacteristic work.
Institutional policy is that anonymous is the default option. There is recognition that it is sometimes not possible or desirable. These are perfectly legitimate, but teams are expected to carefully consider the appropriateness of anonymity, include students in decision-making and explain why work is not anonymously marked.
Practical ways to implement anonymous marking
The following guides explain how anonymous marking can be effectively managed:
Staff Guide: Creating Assignments
Staff Guide: Anonymous Marking with Multiple Markers in Canvas
Canvas Supported fonts for student submissions
Staff Guide: Contacting Students Who Haven’t Submitted When Marking Anonymously