How to Grade in Google Classroom & 19 Excellent Alternatives to Use

Grading and assessment are crucial to the teaching and learning process. But they can be tough to navigate, especially as we transition to more digital approaches to learning. Google Classroom is one of the most popular tools for online learning today, and it comes with many features to help both teachers and students. Additionally, AI in classroom tools, such as automated grading systems and performance tracking apps, can simplify the assessment process and provide more timely feedback.

The platform’s grading capabilities are particularly impressive. They save educators time and help them streamline their assessments. This blog will discuss how to grade in Google Classroom and the benefits of grading software for teachers.

What Is Google Classroom & How Does It Help Teachers Save Time?

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Google Classroom is a suite of online tools that allows teachers to:

Set assignments
Have students submit work
Mark
Return graded papers

It was created to eliminate paper in classes and make digital learning possible. It was initially planned for use with laptops in schools, such as Chromebooks, to allow the teacher and students to share information and assignments more efficiently.

Digital Classroom

As more schools have transitioned to online learning, Google Classroom has become far more widely used as teachers quickly implement paperless instruction. Classrooms work with:

Google Docs
Sheets
Slides
Sites
Earth
Calendar
Gmail, and can be supplemented by Google Hangouts or Meet for face-to-face live teaching or questions

Streamlining Classroom Management with Google Classroom

Teachers can create classes and invite students to the platform, allowing for simply sharing:

Assignments
Grades
Exams
Other materials

Students can have a more productive learning experience while submitting their homework by interacting with the following:

Classmates
Teachers

Google Classroom provides various tools to help teachers monitor and enhance student development. These tools allow teachers to track and evaluate students' progress and provide a personalized learning experience that caters to their unique strengths and weaknesses.

Why Teachers Love Using Google Classroom

Google Classroom provides an effective and practical solution for teachers and students. This platform helps teachers organize their classrooms more efficiently and gives students more access to materials. Teachers can design classroom activities to:

Make them more interesting
Ensure greater student participation

Materials can be arranged in different formats according to students' learning styles. Other features, such as video lessons and interactive activities, can help students acquire knowledge in the way that best suits them.

Google Workspace for Education: A Free, Secure, and User-Friendly Tool for Teachers

Google Classroom is the simplest and easiest workspace for education and instructors. It is preferred for its time-saving:

Features
Security

Free Version Available to Everyone

One-click switching (homework, student, or between classes)
To keep track of student progress degrees. The option to transfer the relevant notes to OBS.
For multiple classes, the option to prepare tasks, assignments, and tests.
To be able to create a room or a classroom without any limits.
The option of storing frequently used phrases in the comment bank.

In the Paid Version

To transfer educational technology tools and add-ons, you need to access Education Plus to access this feature.

Who can use Google Classroom?

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Google Classroom is a versatile platform that benefits various educational users. Its users include:

Teachers
Students
Administrators

Google Classroom is accessible across numerous educational settings, from K12 to higher education. Both individual users and organizations can use It. Anyone with a Google account can access the platform, and it's free to anyone with a personal Google account. Schools and districts can also access Google Classroom for free through Google Workspace for Education or Google Workspace for Nonprofits.

User Groups

Teachers and students use Google Classroom through their school-provided Google accounts. While teachers and students are the primary users of Google Classroom, the platform also includes features for:

Administrators
Families
Clubs
After-school programs
Homeschoolers

Classroom Roles

Users with Google Classroom accounts operate within specific roles that cater to their needs. Teachers manage the classroom, create assignments, and communicate with students. Students complete tasks and can organize class materials and resources.

Google Classroom allows for easy communication between teachers, students, and their families.

How Do Teachers Use Google Classroom?

Google Classroom offers a flexible platform that educators can use in various ways to enhance their teaching. First, the platform helps streamline how teachers manage classes. Google Classroom integrates with Google’s other tools like:

Docs
Drive
Forms
Meet
Calendar

If you post an assignment with a due date, it’s automatically added to your students’ class calendar for them to see. Teachers can also digitally:

Organize
Distribute
Collect assignments
Course materials (such as videos, websites, PDFs, and more)
Student work using Google Classroom

Assignment Management

Teachers can post assignments to multiple classes or modify and reuse assignments yearly. If your students have regular access to devices, Google Classroom can help you avoid some trips to the photocopier and cut down on some of the paper shuffling that comes with teaching and learning.

The platform also makes it easy for teachers to communicate with students about their classwork. You can use Google Classroom to post announcements and reminders about assignments, and it’s easy to see who has or hasn’t completed their work. You can also:

Check-in with individual students privately
Answer their questions
Offer support

Assessment Tools

Google Classroom helps teachers give students timely feedback on their assignments and assessments. Within Google Classroom, it’s possible to use Google Forms to create and share quizzes that are automatically graded as students turn them in. You will spend less time grading, and your students will also get instant feedback on their work.

Teachers can view individual and class data within Forms or an automatically generated Google Sheet.

8 Useful Features of Google Classroom that You Should Know

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1. Assignments: Creating Assignments to Grade in Google Classroom

Teachers can create assignments using learning material like YouTube videos, Google Form surveys, or interactive PDFs from the drive.

They can assign assignments to all students or individual students. Teachers can either immediately give out the assignment or schedule the assignment for a particular day.

2. Customizable Grading System: Class Grading with Google Classroom

Teachers can choose a grading system and create grade categories. If teachers want the overall grades to be accessible to students, they can choose from any of the following systems:

Total Points Grading: Divide students' total points by the maximum points possible.
Weighted by Category Grading: The grade categories are assigned a weight. Then, the average scores of each grade category are calculated and multiplied by the grade weight to give you an overall grade of 100%.
No Overall Grade: If the teachers choose not to grade the students.

3. Virtual Discussions: Engaging Students with Google Classroom Comments

Teachers can invite students to answer question-driven discussions and respond to classmates. Comments on Google Docs enable a two-way discussion, as teachers can give feedback to students, which is a great way to keep students engaged, especially when you can’t see them. Teachers can manage the discussions by muting some students from posting or commenting.

4. Announcements: Keeping Students Informed with Google Classroom

Teachers can give updates to students through announcements. Announcements are posts with no assignments; they’re just notices for students about deadlines, tests, or any class work. Teachers can schedule announcements and can control replies and comments made on the announcement post.

5. Live Classes: Teaching Real-Time Classes with Google Meet

This is one of the latest features, where teachers can take a real-time class virtually through Google Meet. Teachers can add up to 250 people to a Hangout call, and around 1,00,000 viewers can live-stream.

These meetings or lectures can also be recorded so students who missed the live session can watch them later.

6. Reuse Assignments: Efficiently Handling Curricula with Google Classroom

In most cases, the curricula are reusable annually, and this feature is essential to teachers as they can access their curricula whenever needed and review them to fit their current classes. Classroom assignments allow access to announcements or questions from any of your classes or any class you co-teach, whether from a year or two ago.

Once you identify what you want to copy, you can make changes before posting or assigning it. Teachers can tailor their assignments to fit the students’ assessment at the current level or year.

7. YouTube Functionality: Using YouTube to Enhance Learning in Google Classroom

This feature enables teachers to attach learning videos on announcements and classes where necessary for the students to view. It’s also important to note that without restrictions, learners are expected to be mischievous as they try to access YouTube sites that are not educational out of curiosity.

This feature puts the admin in charge by allowing them to restrict YouTube videos and video games viewable for signed-in users as well as signed-out users on networks managed by the admin. As long as you are signed in via the Google Classroom site or link, you are restricted from YouTube content you can access or view. This feature allows for the proper use of the Classroom.

8. Mobile Applications: Accessing Google Classroom on the Go

This feature enables the learner to access Google Classroom on their mobile phones via an application available for both:

iOS
Android users

Students who don't have laptops needn't worry; they can still attend their classes as long as they install the mobile application on their devices.

8 Advantages of Using Google Classroom

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1. Easy to Use & Accessible From All Devices

Using Google Classroom is simple, even if you're not a Google user. It runs on the Chrome browser, which means you can access it from any:

Computer
Tablet
Mobile device

Content Management

It also makes it easy to add learners to create Google documents to:

Manage announcements and assignments
Post YouTube videos
Add links
Attach files from Google Drive

Learners will find it equally easy to log in, receive assignments, and turn in work.

2. Effective Communication & Sharing

One of the most significant advantages of Google Classroom is Google Docs. These documents are saved online and shared with a limitless number of people, so when you create an announcement or assignment using a Google Doc, your learners can access it immediately through their Google Drive, as long as you have shared it with them.

Google Docs are easily organized and personalized in Google Drive folders. You no longer need emails to share information; just create a document and share it with as many learners as you want.

3. Speeds Up the Assignment Process

How about creating an assignment and distributing it with just a click? And how about learners turning in the completed assignment in seconds? The assignment process has never been quicker and more effective in Google Classroom. You can quickly check who has submitted their assignment and is still working on it and offer your feedback immediately.

4. Effective Feedback

Speaking of feedback, Google Classroom allows you to offer your online support to your learners immediately; this means that feedback becomes more effective, as fresh comments and remarks significantly impact learners’ minds.

5. No Need for Paper

There might be a day that grading papers would be impossible to imagine; Google Classroom is undoubtedly interested in getting there as soon as possible. By centralizing eLearning materials in one cloud-based location, you can go paperless and stop worrying about printing, handing out, or even losing your learners’ work.

6. Clean and User-Friendly Interface

Staying loyal to clean Google layout standards, Google Classroom invites you to an environment where every design detail is simple, intuitive, and user-friendly. Google users will feel right at home.

7. Great Commenting System

Learners can comment on specific locations within pictures for various online courses. Furthermore, you can create URLs for exciting comments and use them for further online discussion.

8. Is For Everyone

Educators can also join Google Classroom as learners. You can create a Google Classroom for you and your colleagues and use it for faculty meetings, information sharing, or professional development.

8 Cons Of Using Google Classroom

woman working on laptop - How to Grade in Google Classroom

1. Difficult Account Management

Managing multiple accounts can be a hassle. With Google Classroom, you can’t access from multiple domains. You also cannot log in with your personal Gmail account, so you have to use your Google Classroom account, which is linked to Google Apps for Education. If you have files in a personal Google account that you want to use in Google Classroom, you must go through an inconvenient process to transfer them to your new account.

You’d have to download the files to your hard drive, log out of your personal account, and log into Google Classroom to upload them.

2. Limited Integration Options

Google Classroom has limited integration options, which can hinder classroom organization. For instance, Google Classroom does not integrate with Google Calendar or any calendar, which could help you manage and organize assignment deadlines and course material.

3. Too Googlish

If you are unfamiliar with Google’s ecosystem, you might find Google Classroom’s interface tricky to navigate. The platform is filled with buttons and icons from other Google applications. While Google has made strides in integrating YouTube to help with video sharing, there isn’t much support for other tools.

If you want to use a Word document in Google Classroom, you must first convert it to a Google Doc. If you don’t plan to use mostly Google tools in your class, you may find the transition to Google Classroom frustrating.

4. No Automated Updates

With Google Classroom, activity feeds do not update automatically. Learners must refresh the page regularly to get the latest announcements and updates. This can be inconvenient, as important information can be missed if students do not refresh periodically.

5. Difficult Learner Sharing

Google Classroom makes it difficult for learners to share work with their peers. A student must become the owner of a document to share their work with others.

Even after they gain ownership, they will need to approve sharing options. If a student wants to share a document with 50 classmates, this can create chaos in large classrooms.

6. Editing Problems

When you create an assignment in Google Classroom and distribute it to learners, they become owners of the document. This means they can edit the document as they wish, including deleting any part of the assignment. If this happens, even accidentally, it could cause problems for you and your learners.

7. No Automated Quizzes and Tests

Consider whether you want to use Google Classroom to replace your learning management system. Google Classroom does not provide automated quizzes and tests for your learners. Instead, it is more suitable for a blended learning experience than a fully online program.

8. Impersonal

Online education can be an isolating experience for students. Google Classroom does not help the situation. For instance, the platform has not integrated Google Hangouts for video chatting. Online interaction between teachers and learners is only possible through Google Docs.

Effective education requires interaction and building relationships with learners, and online discussions are the best way to achieve this in a virtual environment. Unfortunately, there is no way to live chat in Google Classroom. At least, again, not yet.

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Complete Guide on How To Grade In Google Classroom

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Set Up Your Grading System

Before starting grading, you need to set up your grading system in Google Classroom. To do this:

Head to classroom.google.com and click on your class
Click on Settings (the gear icon)
Under the ‘Grade calculation’ section, select one of the following options: No overall grade (grades aren’t calculated for students); Total points (divides total points earned by total points possible); Weighted by category (adds the scores across categories)

Grade Categories

You can organize classwork in Google Classroom with grade categories, such as:

Essays
Homework
Tests

If your class has four essay assignments, you can organize them in an Essays category.

Grading Systems

Note: Grades are calculated for the duration of the class. If you want to begin grading again for a new term or semester, you must create a new class.

After you select a grading system, you can add grade categories. Grade categories are required with Weighted by category grading, but can also be used with Total points grading or No overall grade. You can only select a grading system in the web version of Classroom.

Give Feedback on Google Classroom Assignments

In the Classroom, open the student work (details above). Select the passage you want to comment on, click Add a comment, then add comment.

Grade with a Rubric in Google Classroom

You can use a rubric to grade and give feedback. You can grade rubrics from the Student work page or the grading tool. After you start grading, you can’t edit or delete the assignment’s rubric. For details on how students can check their rubrics, go to Check your work with rubrics.

Grade and Return an Assignment in Google Classroom

In Classroom, you can give a numeric grade, leave comment-only feedback, or do both. You can also return assignments without grades. You can grade and return work from:

The Student work page
The Classroom grading tool
The Grades page

For Grades page instructions, go to View or update your gradebook. You can download grades for one assignment or for all assignments in a class.

Grading Periods

Coming soon: Organize your gradebook into grading periods, such as quarters or semesters, and see overall grades for each.

View and Update Your Gradebook on Google Classroom

Note: If your school participates in the grades sync beta program, you can push grades directly from Classroom to your student information system (SIS). For details, go to the beta interest sign-up form. On the Grades page, you can view and update your gradebook. You can view:

Student submissions
Enter grades
Return work

Students get their grades when they return to their work.

Access Grades

Only teachers see the Grades page. For instructions on how to set up overall grades and grade categories, go to Set up Grading. You can open your gradebook from two places. Go to classroom.google.com.

Choose an option: On a class card, click Open grade book. Open gradebook In a class, at the top, click Grades.

Enter Grades and Return Work in Google Classroom

You can return work with or without a grade. Grades you enter save as drafts until you click Return. When you return to work, email or mobile notifications are sent to students who get them, and students can view their grades. Go to classroom.google.com. Click a classand thenGrades.

Enter a grade for a student’s assignment. To return a student’s assignment, click More and then Return and Confirm. For more instructions on grading, go to Grade and return an assignment. In Classroom, you can give a numeric grade, leave comment-only feedback, or do both. You can also return assignments without grades. You can grade and return work from:

The Student Work page
The Classroom grading tool
The Grades page

For Grades page instructions, go to View or update your gradebook. You can download grades for one assignment or for all assignments in a class.

19 Amazing Google Classroom Alternatives (2024)

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1. EssayGrader: The Fastest AI Grader For Writing Assignments

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With EssayGrader, Teachers can:

Replicate their grading rubrics (so AI doesn't have to do the guesswork to set the grading criteria)
Setup fully custom rubrics
Grade essays by class
Bulk upload of essays
Use our AI detector to catch essays written by AI
Summarize essays with our Essay summarizer

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2. Teachfloor: A Focus on Social and Peer Learning

Teachfloor is a cutting-edge online learning platform that empowers educators and organizations to create dynamic courses enriched by the following:

Power of social
Peer learning

With its intuitive interface and robust tools, Teachfloor enables:

Seamless course creation
Management
Engagement

What sets Teachfloor apart is its unwavering commitment to fostering collaborative learning experiences. Through its sophisticated social learning functionalities, learners can interact, share insights, and collaborate on projects, amplifying the educational journey. Teachfloor's peer learning features encourage active participation, allowing students to learn from each other's perspectives and experiences.

3. Powerschool: A Google Classroom Alternative for Schools

Schoology is one of the best ways to go if you’re looking for a Google Classroom alternative for institutions. This software can benefit class management because it caters to K-12 teachers, students, and administrators. In doing so, the platform is able to simplify the learning process while keeping parents in the loop.

You can use the basic edition for free. Upgrade to Enterprise if your institution requires more refined tools.

4. Canvas: A Highly Customizable LMS

Canvas is an open-source learning management system for teaching, learning, and designing. The program provides:

Content
Grades
Communication tools
Analytics within a single platform

What makes this option so appealing is that it offers several customizability and integration options. Canvas is more feature-rich than most of its competitors and provides a unique experience for each user. The platform is a great Google Classroom alternative.

5. Moodle: A Free and Open-Source LMS

Not every Google Classroom alternative has to cost money. After all, Google doesn’t charge for its software. That’s one of the reasons why Moodle is a favorite among newcomers. This platform is free to use and highly customizable.

Forbes vets it as the best open-source learning management system. Thanks to an intuitive interface, the software is highly viable and on the rise. Moodle also encourages global communications through its large community of developers, which some Google Classroom alternatives don’t offer.

6. Blackboard Learn: A Tried-and-True Google Classroom Alternative

If you want a tried-and-true Google Classroom alternative, Blackboard Learn is the way to go. This learning management system primarily caters to higher education, although the company has also been gearing its services toward business and government entities.

Blackboard Alternative

Blackboard has added a new LMS version called Learn Ultra. What’s more, Learn Ultra has coexisted with Blackboard for the past five years. Which means it’s a streamlined and reliable way of teaching.

7. Eduflow: A Versatile and Interactive Google Classroom Alternative

Eduflow is a versatile and interactive online learning platform that empowers educators to create dynamic courses. With its user-friendly interface, customizable features, and collaborative tools, Eduflow supports educators in designing engaging learning experiences for students of all levels.

From peer reviews and quizzes to discussions and personalized learning paths, Eduflow transforms traditional classrooms into interactive online environments.

8. Microsoft Teams for Education: A Collaborative Google Classroom Alternative

Microsoft Teams for Education is a great Google Classroom alternative for courses requiring teacher-to-student and peer-to-peer activities. So if your e-Learning storyboard includes points where students need to work in groups, this LMS by Microsoft works great.

It’s an organized way of tracking assignments while keeping track of your progress. It offers more integrations than most Google Classroom alternatives and even surpasses Google Classroom itself on that count.

9. Schoox: A Google Classroom Alternative Built for Institutions

As you can tell by the name, Schoox is listed as a Google Classroom alternative because it was designed for institutions. This software is slightly different because it strives to create a realistic classroom environment.

The interface to this Google Classroom alternative is simple to use. There are different tabs to help you organize your material. The software comes with pricing options that other Google Classroom alternatives might not have.

10. Brightspace (D2L): A Google Classroom Alternative for Institutions and Businesses

Brightspace is a Google Classroom alternative that institutions and businesses use. With Brightspace, you can manage course material and assignments in one place.

One of the most convenient features of this Google Classroom alternative is the ability to add images and videos to course materials.

11. Sakai: A Highly Interactive Google Classroom Alternative

Sakai is a highly interactive Google Classroom alternative. Everything is well-thought-out. The forums and discussion boards are accessible. The course formatting is easy to

understand.

This eliminates the learning curve some might experience, making Sakai a popular Google Classroom alternative in user-friendliness.

12. EducateMe: A Flexible Google Classroom Alternative

EducateMe is an excellent Google alternative, being a flexible LMS platform that lets you:

Streamline assignments
Foster collaboration
Manage your learning process.

Similar to Google Classroom, it offers decent live session hosting and management. Besides, it is not less intuitive and provides a wider variety of formats. Its editor is concerned with the drag-and-drop principle and allows useful embedment from YouTube and Loom to Figma and Google Docs.

Collaborative Learning

EducateMe offers:

Great peer-review options
Group assignments
Built engagement tools
Progressive cohort management and reporting
Track all student assignments from the unified dashboard
Displaying deadlines and students' progress

EducateMe is a collaborative LMS platform designed to help instructors create hitch-free learning sessions, and students learn simultaneously. It has proven to be a solid Google Classroom alternative for those who seek more control and engagement in learning provision.

13. TalentLMS: A Cloud-Based Google Classroom Alternative

TalentLMS is a cloud-based LMS platform that users can install in minutes and upload their learning materials in a snap using any connected device. TalentLMS gives you a personal domain you can customize with your logo and style.

The platform has building pieces that allow you to scale your training to meet changing demands. Its services are designed to meet the needs of small—to medium-sized and larger organizations. It is one of the Google Classroom business alternatives focused on corporate learning.

14. Aha Slides: An Interactive Google Classroom Alternative

Aha Slides is an interesting alternative because it focuses on presentations, quizzes, and interactions during live sessions. It is an online presentation software and an easy-to-use productivity tool that allows you to:

Create
Present
Collaborate on materials

If you seek a Google Classroom alternative because of the lack of interactive learning tools or student engagement, Aha Slides can be a solution.

15. Excalidraw: An Online Whiteboard Tool

Excalidraw is an online whiteboard drawing and collaborative tool that you can use to create simple or complex drawings. That way, it is different from other sites like Google Classroom. You can use it to create:

Illustrations
Diagrams
Logos

Excalidraw is easy to use, and you don’t need special skills to create beautiful drawings. It might be a decent alternative to Google Classroom for collaborative learning involving design and creative cooperation.

16. Chamilo: A Free Google Classroom Alternative

Chamilo can be a great option for those seeking free Google Classroom alternatives, such as non-profits. Why?‍ Chamilo is a straightforward open-source LMS that allows educators and organizations to:

Create
Manage
Deliver courses, assessments, and multimedia content

Its open-source nature makes it highly customizable and offers excellent integration capabilities.

17. Classcraft: A Gamified Learning Experience

This platform provides a unique experience by adding elements of role-playing and gaming. Teachers can assign scores for different tasks, and students must complete assignments to earn XP (experience points) and rewards.

18. Classtime: A Google Classroom Alternative for Assessments

Classtime is an assessment platform that allows educators to choose from a variety of question types to create unique assessments in a short amount of time.

While Google Classroom may be used for communication and assignment distribution, Classtime is preferred for evaluation and fully integrates with Google Classroom.

19. Edmodo: A Google Classroom Alternative With Great Features

Edmodo is one of the best Google Classroom competitors and also a worldwide leader in the ed-tech field, loved by hundreds of thousands of teachers. Teachers and students can gain a lot from this learning management system. Save heaps of time by putting all content on this app, easily create communication via video meetings and chats with your students, and quickly assess and grade students' performance.

You can let Edmodo do some or all of the grading for you. This app:

Collect, grade, and return student assignments online and connect with their parents.
Its planner feature helps all teachers to manage tasks and deadlines effectively.
Offers a free plan, allowing teachers to monitor classes with essential tools.

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That's a 95 percent reduction in the time it takes to grade an essay while producing the same results. With EssayGrader, teachers can:

Replicate their grading rubrics so AI doesn't have to do the guesswork to set the grading criteria
Set up fully custom rubrics
Grade essays by class
Bulk upload of essays
Use our AI detector to catch essays written by AI
Summarize essays with our Essay summarizer

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Primary school, high school, and even college professors grade their students' essays with the help of our AI tool. Over half a million essays were graded by 60,000 teachers on our platform.

How To Get Started With EssayGrader

Getting started with EssayGrader is simple.

Create an account on our website.
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