Flutterby™! : Grading impacted by alphabetical order of surname

Study: Alphabetical order of surnames may affect grading

An analysis by University of Michigan researchers of more than 30 million grading records from U-M finds students with alphabetically lower-ranked names receive lower grades. This is due to sequential grading biases and the default order of students’ submissions in Canvas — the most widely used online learning management system — which is based on alphabetical rank of their surnames.

30 Million Canvas Grading Records Reveal Widespread Sequential Bias and System-Induced Surname Initial Disparity