Setting up indicators
Indicators are specific things you observe during an assessment. While criteria define what students are graded on, indicators capture what you actually notice — “speaks clearly”, “uses evidence”, “responds well to follow-ups”.
During marking, you record indicator values. The app uses these to distribute scores across criteria.
Add an indicator
Section titled “Add an indicator”- Open Edit setup and go to the Marking tab
- In the Indicators section, click Add and select Add indicator
- Enter a name that describes an observable behaviour
Good indicator names are specific and observable:
- “Explains concepts in own words” (good)
- “Understanding” (too vague — that’s a criterion)
The 5-point scale
Section titled “The 5-point scale”All indicators use the same scale:
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| + + | Well above expectations |
| + | Above expectations |
| ○ | Meets expectations |
| − | Below expectations |
| − − | Well below expectations |
During marking, indicators start blank. You set each one based on what you observed.
The influence matrix
Section titled “The influence matrix”Below the criteria and indicators lists is a matrix showing which indicators affect which criteria. Each cell represents an influence.
To set an influence:
- Find the row for your criterion and the column for the indicator (or vice versa — you can transpose the view)
- Click the cell to open a menu
- Select a weight (1–5) or click Clear to remove the influence
Higher weights mean stronger influence. A weight of 5 means this indicator strongly affects the criterion; a weight of 1 means a weak effect.
Example
Section titled “Example”| Indicator | Understanding (40pts) | Communication (30pts) | Evidence (30pts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explains clearly | 2 | 5 | — |
| Cites sources | — | — | 5 |
| Responds to probing | 4 | 2 | 3 |
Here:
- “Explains clearly” strongly affects Communication, moderately affects Understanding
- “Cites sources” only affects Evidence
- “Responds to probing” affects all three, most strongly Understanding
Indicator contribution
Section titled “Indicator contribution”On the Marking tab, you’ll find the Indicator contribution slider (0–100%).
This controls how much your indicator observations affect the distribution of scores:
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| 0% | Indicators don’t affect distribution — scores are proportional to criterion weights |
| 50% (default) | Balanced — indicators can shift scores moderately |
| 100% | Maximum — indicators strongly differentiate between criteria |
Start with 50% and adjust based on how much variation you want between criteria.
How scoring works
Section titled “How scoring works”When you mark a student:
- You give an overall mark (e.g., 75/100)
- You set indicator values (e.g., “Explains clearly” = +, “Cites sources” = −)
- The app calculates per-criterion scores that sum to 75, weighted by your indicator observations
See How final scores are calculated for the full algorithm.
- More indicators than criteria is fine. You might have 8 indicators feeding into 4 criteria.
- Not every indicator needs to influence every criterion. Leave cells blank where there’s no logical connection.
- Indicators are for you, not students. Use language that helps you mark quickly. The student sees the criterion scores (unless you chose “Indicators only” student view).