Power to business professors: Automatic grading of problem-solving tasks in a spreadsheet

•A spreadsheet template enables a professor to develop individualized problem-solving tasks.•Tasks are marked automatically and provide students with tailored feedback.•Feedback focus both on the problem-solving outcome and the problem-solving process.•When homework, assignments, and exams are marked automatically, the assessment load on professors is substantially reduced.

This paper presents an innovative approach, based on Excel files and a detailed implementation guide, that allows a professor with proficient spreadsheet skills to develop individualized problem-solving tasks for assignments and examinations that test students on cognitive thinking processes beyond memorizing and drilling. The professor accomplishes this goal by requiring the students to model a business problem-solving task in a worksheet environment. Each student’s work is marked automatically by a generic “plug and play” Visual Basic for Application (VBA) algorithm. The scores and feedback provided are tailored to each individual student and address not only the problem-solving outcome but also the problem-solving process. The learning objective discussed in this work is implemented at a Norwegian university business school.