iSocrates

As a Mac application, Socrates is designed to help educators create evaluation rubrics quickly and easily. This software comes equipped with pull-down menus featuring commonly used feedback comments, making the evaluation process more efficient. The versatility of iSocrates allows it to cater to various evaluation styles, including quantitative and qualitative approaches, point-based or holistic evaluation systems. In addition, it can evaluate a range of projects, such as presentations in various formats, written assignments, poster presentations, visual design, and media projects.

iSocrates offers a built-in Likert scale featuring pre-made evaluation phrases, as well as customized rating systems. The software allows for the assignment of weights to each evaluation category or criterion, computing totals instantly. Alternatively, instructors can opt to ignore points and assign a holistic grade, grade based on assigned weights and evaluations, or receive grade recommendations.

Some key features of iSocrates are creating rubrics for a project while also exporting components of the rubric for use in new projects. Custom rubrics can be shared with other members of the academic community via the website, and rubrics from colleagues can easily be downloaded and utilized. Printouts of evaluations are available as students complete their projects, or they can all be printed at once. Student scores can also be printed or exported to a third-party grade book.

Limitations of the software include the demo version's limitation of seven entries for students, banners placed on all printouts, and a "nag screen" that appears every ten minutes. Overall, Socrates is an excellent tool for instructors that streamlines the evaluation process and offers flexibility in evaluation style and project assessment.