Anonymity and Grading Fairness in Online Education

ABSTRACT

The online classroom introduces a sense of anonymity unlike that in the physical classroom. In some ways, online education seems as if it could be more equitable or even free from racism because physical characteristics are mostly absent from which racialized judgments are made. However, students’ feelings about how technology afforded anonymity do not always indicate online education is free of identity bias or racialization. This mixed-methods study investigates students’ feelings (n = 174) about fair grading practices and anonymity in undergraduate online classes. Findings suggest that online students perceive anonymity, and their identities factor into grading, in both positive and negative ways. Rubrics and clear expectations can help alleviate concern over unfair grading practices. Institutions intent on offering online instruction should not rely on students’ perceptions of anonymity to create equitable learning environments.

Acknowledgments

This work was funded through an Early Career Diversity Research Award through the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State. The author would like to thank the reviewers for their thoughtful comments and Dr. Crystal Ramsay for her suggestions and early review.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.