Killing educators’ nightmare : opportunities and challenges when using GenAI in marking an essay assignment

Abstract

Generative AI has been used in higher education in teaching and learning. The purpose of this study is to compare the marks generated by GenAI and human educators in essay assignments. The feedback made by GenAI and educators is also examined. A total of 126 submitted assignments from business students in a university were marked by GenAI and by an educator, respectively. It was found that there were small differences in the marks, recorded using a paired sample t test, and there was a moderate correlation between educator and GenAI markings. GenAI feedback follows the rubrics closely, and educators are more likely to give a holistic view of the scripts. GenAI marking might be useful in a large class with specific guidelines for an essay format assignment.