Examinations Question Specialized Marking: A Quantitative Analysis of Inter-marker Reliability Mode at Chinhoyi University of Technology

A ZJER article on a specialized marking scheme at a Zimbabwe university.The report presents findings from a quantitative quasi-experimental control and experiment group study. Its aim was to establish the effectiveness and advantages of examinations question specialized marking mode on inter-marker reliability. It was motivated by the current (2011) university problem of large volumes of marking against very few lecturers and the need to uphold a high level of quality marking. Data was gathered from two experimental marking sessions held in November 2010 and March 2011 at Chinhoyi University ofTechnology in Zimbabwe. Comparative analysis of deviations and time was done for the control and experiment group using paired t-tests, Spearman's rank order correlation and Chi-square for . hypothesis testing. The study found that Question Specialised Marking (QSM) was effective. It reduced marker deviations, stress and marking time significantly. It has an inbuilt team member supervision mechanism, offers answer script security, reduces probability of marker malpractice and is fair to all students. The study recommends that, Universities with large marking loads and two or more lecturers per course can adopt Question Specialised Marking (QSM) for their next examination marking sessions to improve inter-marker reliability