Small habits that save time, plus quick fixes for the questions OIE hears most.
Scanning paper work
Scan in batches
Batches of 50 to 75 pages process faster and arrive in your inbox sooner than one huge file.
Cut, don’t unstaple
For stapled exams, cut off the stapled corner. Gradescope still reads the pages.
Scan one side
If students only wrote on the front, set the scanner to front only. Files are smaller and process faster.
Working in Blackboard
- Sync assignments from Blackboard. Use +, then Content Market, then Gradescope Assignment. Assignments made only inside Gradescope cannot post grades to Blackboard.
- Hide new links until you are ready. A new Gradescope link in Course Content is visible to students by default.
- Set TA roles after a roster sync. TAs come in as Instructors. On the Roster page, change each TA’s Role dropdown to TA, and check again after any later sync.
- Re-sync when enrollment changes. Adds and drops in Blackboard do not move to Gradescope until you sync again. Grades for dropped students are kept.
- Copied a course from a past term? Old Gradescope links may show “The corresponding LTI component is unavailable.” Delete them and add new ones through Content Market.
Grading faster
- Grade one question at a time. Finish every answer to a question before moving on. Your rubric settles quickly and stays consistent.
- Split the work by question. With TAs, give each grader a question instead of a pile of exams, so each rubric has one owner.
- Reuse what you built. Duplicate an assignment next term to keep its outline and rubric.
See what your students see
- Browse Gradescope’s Student Hub for screenshots of each student step.
- Add yourself to your course as a student using a different email address than your instructor account.
Browsers
Gradescope supports the current and previous versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
Gradescope blank inside Blackboard on Safari? In Safari, choose Settings, then Privacy, and uncheck Prevent cross-site tracking.
Want help with your first one?
Bring an exam or assignment you already use, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will help you decide whether Gradescope fits it and how to set it up. We can:
- Build your first assignment with you, using your own exam or problem set
- Come to a faculty or department meeting to show how colleagues in similar courses use it
- Point you to a webinar on the way you grade, such as bubble sheets or programming autograders
Where to go for other help: problems inside Gradescope, such as an upload or scanning error, go to Gradescope support at help@gradescope.com. Problems with Blackboard itself, such as signing in or a course not appearing, go to the ITS Service Center at help@syr.edu or 315.443.2677.