To help educators keep pace with increasing pressures to help students not just succeed, but excel, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today previewed the Intelligent Grading Solution at ISTE 2013 in San Antonio (Booth #7186). The embedded MEAP Web application (the first to be announced by Canon U.S.A.) is designed to run on Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE systems and will provide educators with the flexibility to develop and grade exams, then generate detailed analytical reports directly from the MFP device. As a cloud-based subscription solution, schools varying in size and IT capabilities may easily and cost-effectively integrate the Intelligent Grading Solution into existing testing and grading processes with little burden to existing workloads.

"Faculty members are constantly juggling multiple tasks at once, and Canon is looking to leverage its existing MEAP Web and imageRUNNER ADVANCE platforms into an efficient educator tool that streamlines, expedites and improves the testing and grading process," said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. "With this new solution, teachers will be capable of easily developing customized test sheets and grade exams by leveraging the devices they use each day to create compelling classroom materials that elevate the level of instruction in the classroom."

Spend Less Time Testing & Grading, and More Time Teaching

Teachers need ways to simplify testing and grading. The Intelligent Grading Solution will allow educators to quickly generate and grade answer sheets directly on their imageRUNNER ADVANCE devices. Once an administrator uploads the school's entire student roster, each teacher will be able to access their individual class list after authenticating to the MFP. Using the simple touch-screen interface, educators may easily select their desired test criteria and print answer sheets on plain paper -a more cost-effective solution than purchasing and keeping inventory of pre-printed forms. Completed exams - marked in pencil or pen - would then be graded instantly utilizing the same imageRUNNER ADVANCE MFPs used for copying and printing. These enhancements will greatly streamline a typically time-consuming workflow and eliminate the need to send exams to a controlled grading location.

Help Close Learning Gaps Through Detailed Reports

With built-in reports incorporated into the cloud-based Intelligent Grading Solution, teachers and faculty will be positioned to quickly analyze results and help student achievement. Within minutes, instructors will have the ability to generate a variety of reports that provide detailed class and student performance information.

By providing these robust statistics, educators would gain a better understanding of overall performance. These detailed analytics will simplify the grading process, allowing teachers to focus more on student achievement and less on administrative tasks.

Easily Manage and Administrate

Operating as an embedded MEAP-web application, the Intelligent Grading Solution will allow schools, large and small, to efficiently integrate this solution even with limited IT infrastructure. As a cloud-based solution, it is expected to remove the need for schools to manage installation, implementation and ongoing maintenance of a software application. In addition, the Intelligent Grading Solution will enable easy upload of class rosters from student information systems, without the need for an external server, lowering costs associated with purchasing added hardware.

At ISTE 2013, Canon will also showcase a variety of other products and solutions intended to help educators maximize the potential of their classrooms, including the latest multifunction and large format printers, projectors, camcorders and cameras.

The new Intelligent Grading Solution is expected to be available through Canon Solutions America and Canon authorized dealer channel in August 2013.