West Lafayette instructors save time grading using automated, no-cost assessment tools created by Purdue, integrated with Brightspace

West Lafayette instructors are finding that Variate and Circuit, both automated, no-cost tools developed at Purdue, are facilitating opportunities for student learning and instructor time savings. The platforms are integrated with Brightspace for authentication, roster sync, and grade push.

Variate

Variate is an online assessment platform for STEM disciplines that provides instructors the flexibility to create multi-part math and engineering problems. It enables the use of randomized variables to ensure that each student sees a unique version of the problem, helping combat academic integrity incidents. The platform is user-friendly, and prior knowledge of programming languages is not required to create problems.

Variate is an alternative to publisher assessment platforms and enables instructors to:

  • quickly compose problems using built-in LaTeX editors and an equation editor keyboard.
  • efficiently manage updates to problems and assessments for use across semesters.
  • build free-response problems that have multiple prompts and responses which accept numerical or expression answers.
  • create multiple-choice problems that can include rich content, LaTeX, and equations.
  • conduct both low- and high-stakes assessments using an optional timer with accessibility accommodations.

Circuit

Circuit is an online platform that allows West Lafayette instructors to create peer-reviewed assignments in a variety of submission formats, including rich text, URLs, videos, and documents. Reviews can be conducted using a point-based scale or rubric. An optional calibration feature helps measure student review accuracy compared to the instructor and can be used to provide students a more accurate assignment score.

For remote, hybrid, and in-person teaching, Circuit allows students to engage with and learn from other students through the peer-review process and empowers instructors to monitor student progress throughout the assignment.

Instructor time and student cost savings

In a survey of current West Lafayette instructors using Variate, respondents estimated five hours per week time saved managing assessment content, and 20 hours per week saved grading over the course of the Fall 2020 semester. In a similar survey, 88% of respondents indicated that Circuit saves them five hours per week on average in time grading.

Dr. Ben Van Kammen’s use of Variate has allowed him to uncouple the homework system from the publisher textbook resulting in significant cost savings to students. Instead of paying as much as $111 for the bundle, students can now “shop around” for the cheapest textbook option rather than having to buy a specific version with homework access from the publisher. This semester, his students in ECON 59000 have saved up to $7,300 by using Variate.

What instructors say

  • “I use Variate in both of my math-heavy economics courses, one for undergrads and one for Master’s students. It is useful for low-stakes homework assessment because the grading is automated, the randomized versions of problems help with academic integrity, and it allows students to get feedback on practice for exams. It is especially good for larger classes, where hand-grading is borderline prohibitive. One particular advantage is that Variate is free to students. Students are reluctant about keying their math into an automated grading system, but much less so when I explain that it’s saving them money.” – Ben Van Kammen, Ph.D., lecturer of economics.
  • “I am teaching Industrial Engineering 343 this fall with 174 students. It is very challenging to facilitate students’ learning and prevent copying each other’s solution directly for math-based homework assignments. With Variate’s help, we can easily randomize numbers for every student with minimal collaborative efforts, i.e., set the range for the variables, use variables to set up a formula for the solution to the questions, and set up a tolerance to allow potential rounding differences. We can also throw any problem we would like to have into a shared problem library, and pick the desired ones for homework assignments. TAs can also be involved to create problems that are shared among all instructing team members. I found it very effective since students actively made efforts to understand the homework questions.” – Zhouyang Lou, graduate teaching assistant of Industrial Engineering.
  • “We use Circuit in our presentational speaking courses. The tool provides an easy, electronic way for students to conduct peer reviews of presentation outlines and other written assignments. In addition to the benefits of random matching of students and providing a platform that takes away the need to exchange files, Circuit also allows for the peer review process to take place outside of the classroom, thus providing additional face-to-face instructional time.” – Jen Hall, Ph.D., Director COM 114 & 217, Lamb School of Communication.

Get started

West Lafayette instructors interested in adding Circuit and/or Variate to their fall courses, or considering them for spring, may reach out to the Innovative Learning Team via email at InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu. Both platforms can be connected to courses through Brightspace, or instructors may log in to the tools directly at the links provided above.