Criteria for Evaluating Automated Grading Systems to Assess Microsoft Office Skills

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) generally require first year students to attend and complete an Introductory Computing Course (ICC). The topics covered include basic skills in word-processing, spread sheets, power-point presentations and database management systems. Initially ICCs were presented by means of lectures, practicals and tutorials. Increasingly HEIs are utilising e-learning environments to facilitate teaching and learning in ICCs due to the large number of students required to complete the courses and acquire the required IT skill sets. The use of an Automated Grading System (AGS) can significantly enhance the learning process of computer literacy skills in ICCs and make the grading process manageable and provide more thorough assessment. Criteria for the development and selection of an AGS have been provided in literature studies. This paper builds on previous research and provides a detailed set of criteria that was utilised to evaluate the features, benefits and limitations of three commercially available AGSs.