In partnership with the Math and Physics Departments, the Division of Information Technology is pleased to announce a pilot for Gradescope, a feedback and grading platform that integrates with Blackboard. Gradescope helps streamline the grading process, especially open-ended “short answer” or “essay” format questions for paper-based, digital, and code-based assignments.

What is Gradescope?

Gradescope is an AI-assisted grading tool that allows instructors to grade paper-based exams, quizzes, bubblesheets, and homework assignments online. It is known for its flexible rubrics and ability to group similar student open-ended answers together.

Here is what Gradescope brings to your teaching toolkit:

• AI-Assisted Grading: For short-answer or handwritten questions, Gradescope can automatically group identical or similar answers together, allowing you to grade an entire batch of student responses at once.
• Code Autograding: Perfect for computer science and engineering courses, Gradescope allows you to run custom autograders on student code submissions alongside manual rubric grading.
• Dynamic Rubrics: Tailor your rubric grading workflow with structured criteria grouping, positive/negative scoring, grid-view matrices, and leverage Markdown/LaTeX.
• Annotation Tools: Provide precise feedback directly on student submissions with text, a freeform pencil, a box tool to create overlays, and emojis.
• Detailed Analytics: Instantly view per-question and per-concept statistics to pinpoint exactly where your students are thriving and where they might need a bit more review.
• Blackboard Integration: Sync your course rosters and push grades directly back to the Blackboard Grade Center, keeping your workflow unified. Access Gradescope from the Blackboard Content Market.

How Does the Pilot Work?

The pilot is open to all UMBC instructors for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

The Instructional Technology team welcomes your participation and feedback on your experience and student outcomes to assess the tool's impact and inform decisions about tool access beyond the pilot phase. 

How to Get Started

Gradescope is available in Blackboard in the course Content Market.

• Explore the Resources: Review the Gradescope FAQs for instructor and student resources.
• Attend Training: Gradescope Essentials - August 18 (1pm-2:30pm)

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection
• What's new in Ultra? |Known Issues
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff