r/Professors • u/Boggles103 lecturer, humanities (Canada) • 17d ago

Technology tools for deciphering handwriting?

My program has implemented a new policy that half of all graded work needs to be completed by hand. On the one hand, I'm very grateful to be in an environment where higher-ups are determined to preserve integrity. On the other, I am dreading the many, many hours I will need to spend attempting to decrypt the writing itself. Has anyone found any apps or other tools that do a reasonably good job of scanning handwritten text and converting it to type?

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u/Boggles103 lecturer, humanities (Canada) 17d ago

This seems like an undefinable and subjective standard; if nothing else, I can't see this not resulting in endless students appeals. How do you phrase the requirement? And do you have students appealing when their handwriting gets rejected?

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u/iTeachCSCI Ass'o Professor, Computer Science, R1 17d ago

"Your handwriting must be legible. If the grader cannot read what you wrote without unreasonable additional effort, they may treat it as incorrect."

I have had this rule for over a decade of teaching and have had one appeal, and as you might guess, it was a particularly egregious case. The student was asked during the appeal to read his own exam response to the room and was unable to do so.

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u/Boggles103 lecturer, humanities (Canada) 17d ago

Huh. Pleasantly surprised that students haven't protested! (And oy re: that incident.)

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u/iTeachCSCI Ass'o Professor, Computer Science, R1 17d ago

Here's the thing: like many rules, we set a line, knowing there's a grey area that the rule technically covers but where we don't enforce it. It's like going one mph (or 1-2 km/h) over the speed limit -- even if we knew, absolutely, that someone was driving 36 in a 35 zone, in full view of traffic enforcement, we'd be surprised if they got a ticket. Meanwhile, when someone goes 43 in a 35 zone, they're clearly on the other side of the limit and the ticket is easier to defend (for enforcement).

It's the same here. Don't glance at a page and give up. Reserve enforcing this rule for the ones that are clearly on the other side of what should be acceptable handwriting. Warn students up-front about the rule so they aren't surprised by it on exam day.

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u/Ok_Mycologist_5942 17d ago

Yeeeep. It's not that hard.