This IMA funded event will take place at the University of Liverpool on Tuesday 29 July 2025.
Registration (which is free) is open; please complete this short form if you would like to attend. The form includes an option to submit an abstract for those who would like to present work at the event. The deadline for abstract submission is Monday 30 June 2025.
The event will start at 10am. An exact schedule is not yet fixed, but the end will not be after 5pm.
Automated grading plays an important role in helping lecturers manage large classes. It has been widely employed in courses assessing routine procedures such as differentiation, integration and Gaussian elimination. However, modern assessment packages are backed by computer algebra systems that are sufficiently powerful and flexible to mark much more advanced material. Since many UK mathematics degrees now have large classes at FHEQ levels five and six, this is an important area for development. The workshop will bring together leading content developers from across the UK and will foster collaboration between universities with an interest in automated grading for mathematics and statistics, using any platform. The workshop welcomes contributed presentations on all relevant aspects of automatic grading; work addressing the following themes is particularly encouraged.
Automated grading systems can quickly and accurately mark questions for which the answer is a simple algebraic expression or a number. Grading longer questions is a much more difficult challenge. Small mistakes such as syntax errors must not be excessively penalised, and the need for human intervention in grading must be minimised.
AI poses challenges to higher education; it is already capable of scoring well on some traditional forms of assessment and how automated grading relates to AI is an area that needs exploration. It may be possible to use AI in grading some types of question; automated grading can also be a useful tool in preventing or discouraging inappropriate use of AI.
Yuri Bazlov (University of Manchester)
Yuri has developed automated grading material for courses including Commutative Algebra and Coding Theory, using the STACK system.
Christian Lawson-Perfect (Newcastle University)
Christian is a member of the development team behind the open-source automatic assessment system Numbas.
Gareth Woods (Aston University)
Gareth's department uses the Möbius system for automated grading in modules including differential equations and vector calculus. He has an important role in a forthcoming development of new automated grading content to include probability, statistics and game theory.
Jessica Banks is a member of the Mathematics Centre for Enhancement in Education at the University of Liverpool and is the lead automated grading developer for the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She creates content for her own taught modules and for colleagues, and manages automated assessments across the whole department.
Ian Thompson is a member of the Waves and Continuum Mechanics research group at the University of Liverpool and is the author of the book Understanding Maple. He uses automated grading to support his own teaching, assessing students' ability to apply numerical methods in a modern and practical setting. He also advises colleagues on technical aspects of question development.
Please email Jessica or Ian if you have any questions about the workshop.