New Feature: Manually Graded Questions in Akindi Assessments
Starting in the Winter 2026 term, instructors can now include a wider variety of question types in their Akindi paper assessments.
In addition to automatically graded multiple-choice questions, Akindi now includes handwritten responses on question sheets, which can be used for the following question types:
- Short answers
- Essay questions
- Calculations
- Fill-in-the-blank
- Diagram labeling
How it works
The new handwritten question types are not scanned or automatically graded, unlike the multiple choice questions. Instead, the student's written response on their question sheet is manually graded, and a total score for their written section is added as a single value into Akindi by an Instructor or Academic Assistant.
Resources and instructions
Akindi has provided several guides to help you implement the new question type:
- Written Answer Questions | Release Notes (external link) : An overview of the feature and its capabilities.
- Add Written Answer Questions to Akindi (external link) : How to set up these questions in your exam document and Akindi Assessment.
- Enter Hand Graded Marks to Akindi (external link) : Instructions for manually entering student grades.
Support
If you have any questions regarding this update, please contact the TMU D2L Brightspace Support Team at courses@torontomu.ca. You can also access support from Akindi by clicking the blue chat icon in the bottom-right corner of any Akindi page.