2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Case Study: Encouraging Faculty Adoption of New Grading Software

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Technical Session 8

A number of researchers have studied the barriers and dynamics of technology adoption by faculty members. Some of these barriers include perceived usefulness (or lack thereof), structural constraints (such as technical support), lack of time to learn new technologies, and varying levels of faculty proficiency with technology, among others. Researchers have also found that for ubiquitous adoption of a technology to occur, a “critical mass” of users must be established to promote adoption by “mainstream” faculty.

The purpose of this study is to document an institutionally supported effort to promote adoption of a new grading software, Gradescope, at a small, private, undergraduate-focused teaching institution. This software was first introduced at the institution in 2018 by a few early adopters. During the pandemic, more faculty used the software to mitigate challenges associated with the collection, grading, and return of graded material in an uncharacteristically online environment. With the relaxing of pandemic restrictions, many faculty instinctively returned to old methods of collecting, grading, and returning student work. However, electronic grading and online feedback saved so much faculty and in-class time that a special effort was made to encourage Gradescope use after pandemic restrictions were lifted. The goal was to develop tailored training sessions and incentive programs to overcome the learning curve associated with Gradescope and increase the rate of adoption of this technology across the campus.

This paper will describe the design of training sessions tailored to novice and advanced users, the incentive and support structures put in place to promote usage, and the impact of these interventions. Impact will be evaluated through aggregate institutional usage metrics and participant survey results that identify how faculty have used their training to promote diffusion of this technology around campus. It will conclude with recommendations and lessons learned through this process that will be applicable to any effort to encourage faculty to adopt a new technology.

Authors

Dr. Ben Mertz Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Ben Mertz received his Ph. D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2010 and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2005. He spent 7 years as a part of a lecturer team at Arizona State University before joining the Mechanical Engineering Department at Rose-Hulman as an Assistant Professor in 2018. His research interests in Engineering Education include teaching teamwork skills and implementing non-traditional content delivery modes in the classroom.
Mr. Curtiss Larry Davis II Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [biography]

I am Curtiss Davis, an instructional designer for the office of Learning and Technology at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. I have worked part-time at Rose-Hulman since 2012, teaching welding and fabrication in the innovation center. I have been full time since last June in the Learning and Technology office, using my teaching and course design skills in innovative ways to support staff and faculty. Furthermore, I am a licensed teacher in the state of Indiana and taught welding and advanced manufacturing for nine years prior to my full-time position at Rose-Hulman.

In academics, I have an associate degree in sheet metal apprenticeship technology, a bachelor’s in technology and engineering education with a minor in CAD, and a master’s degree in education technology. I am currently working toward my Doctorate in curriculum and instruction. My dissertation research focuses on motivational theories and inspirational instruction.

My wife Kathy also works at Rose-Hulman in Academic Affairs, while my son Curtiss attends Rose-Hulman majoring in computer science and software engineering and my daughter Kirsten lives in Hawaii and is working toward her Master’s in English and writing.

I am very honored to be a part of this great organization.

Thank you
Daniel Tetteh-Richter
Dr. Kay C. Dee Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [biography]

Kay C Dee received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After completing her graduate work, Kay C joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She later joined the faculty at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She served as the founding Director of the Rose-Hulman Center for the Practice and Scholarship of Education, and is currently the Associate Dean of Learning & Technology as well as a founding member of the team that annually delivers Rose-Hulman's 'Making Academic Change Happen' workshop.

Kay C has received a number of awards for teaching, research, and mentoring, including the Louisiana "Professor of the Year" award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, the Tulane University “Inspirational Undergraduate Professor” award; the Tulane University President’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching; the Graduate Alliance for Education in Louisiana Award for Excellence in Mentoring Minority Researchers; the honor to serve as a Teaching Fellow for the National Effective Teaching Institute; and more.

Download paper (938 KB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session