About Treemarks · Our research
Help students decide what to study next.
We aim to deliver conceptual feedback the day after students submit an assignment. For early submissions, that could mean getting feedback in time to correct their work before the deadline.
Our hypothesis
Conceptual feedback that highlights the gap to full credit helps students refine their study plan.
Feedback before the grade.
The grade can drown out the feedback. Giving feedback first may help students focus on what to improve. The evidence is not conclusive.
Faster is not automatically better.
Fyfe found no clear average advantage for immediate over delayed feedback. In Mullet’s engineering study, feedback was a full worked solution, and delayed feedback led to better results on new problems. We think full solutions may overwhelm students trying to find their own gap.
Enough feedback for the next step.
Name the gap and give enough explanation to act on it. The right amount depends on what the student already understands.
Why I built Treemarks
I was a course assistant at Stanford in the classes I loved most, but I was spending more time checking answers and grading than teaching. I wanted more time with students, and grading that was fairer and more accurate.
I started Treemarks to make grading faster. Building it changed how I thought about what grading could offer students: feedback that helps them understand their mistakes and learn from them.