Case Study: Western University achieves better peer grading and reduced TA burden with Kritik

Coping with Limited TA Budgets while Ensuring Student Success

Laura Reid, a Computer Science professor at Western University, was facing the challenge of grading assignments for over 800 students with an extremely limited budget for teaching assistants (TAs). The financial constraints, exacerbated by the pandemic, made it difficult to secure the 15 TAs traditionally needed for marking, which jeopardized both her teaching objectives and student support.

To solve this, Professor Reid implemented Kritik’s peer grading platform. The solution redistributed the evaluation process by having each student assess five peers, which drastically reduced the marking burden on TAs. This not only saved on TA costs but also resulted in higher quality feedback and deeper learning for students, with 90% of them reporting satisfaction. Kritik empowered the professor to optimize her time and ensured students achieved greater academic success.

Western University

Laura Reid

Professor of Computer Science