This guide presents a comprehensive comparison table for the Crowdmark and Gradescope assessment grading platforms.
The biggest thing to consider is that while the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering currently provides a faculty-wide license for Crowdmark, it does not provide one for Gradescope. Although Gradescope is included in U of T’s Academic Toolbox, it is not covered by a faculty-wide license from FASE.
If you are planning to use Gradescope in a FASE course, you would need to secure a license independently.
1. Crowdmark vs. Gradescope feature comparison
| Crowdmark | Gradescope | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of UofT Academic Toolbox | Yes; Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering provides license | Yes;
|
| Integrated into Quercus | You can connect your Quercus course to Crowdmark, sync course roster and assessment grades. | For licensed users, Gradescope is integrated into Quercus and due dates, section assignments, and assignment titles can be synced from Quercus to Gradescope. |
| Access | Access Crowdmark directly from your Quercus course using the LTI connection. | As of May 8, 2026, licensed users can access Gradescope only from their Quercus course. Logging in via https://www.gradescope.ca/login will no longer work after May 8, 2026. |
| Set Up |
| Refer to the following vendor guide for information on setting up your Quercus course in Gradescope: Using Gradescope LTI 1.3 with Canvas as an instructor. |
| Supported assessment types | Paper-based (Administered)– any question type students can respond to on paper (especially handwritten, calculations)
Online (Assigned) – assessment set up and administered fully online in Crowdmark.
| Paper-based and digital assessments– any question type students can answer on paper or annotate on the document using their device:
Online Assignments – assessment set up and administered directly in Gradescope. Students can submit responses in Gradescope interface. Programming assessment - students submit code projects and instructors can grade them automatically or manually. |
| Assessment distribution | Paper-based assessment: instructor created question templates in Crowdmark and distributes physical copies of question booklets to students Online assessment: instructor creates assessment questions in Crowdmark and selects distribution option. Students receive link to assessment via email and submit it in Crowdmark. | Refer to the following vendor guides for information on how students can access a Gradescope assignment in Quercus: |
| Grading |
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|
| Adding Assessment Grades to Quercus Gradebook | Sync assessment grades with Quercus from the Assessment Results interface in Crowdmark | Refer to the following vendor guide for information on creating, linking, and grading your Quercus assignment in Gradescope: Using Gradescope LTI 1.3 with Canvas as an instructor. |
| Submission file type and size limit | PDF, JPG, and PNG file formats. The size limit is 12mb per JPG or PNG file and 25mb per PDF file. |
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2. Learn more about Crowdmark and Gradescope
More about Crowdmark
- Check out our EdTech knowledgebase articles about using Crowdmark
- Register for Crowdmark Training Webinars
More about Gradescope
- Visit Gradescope web page to access their knowledgebase articles.