From pandemic solution to institutional impact
Dr Colin Lee, senior lecturer in Human Resources and Learning Analytics in the Department of People and Organisations at RSM, created Harmonized Appraisal, or HAPP, as a grading-and-feedback methodology to help educators evaluate student work more consistently, efficiently and transparently. The current HAPP methodology and Canvas-integrated software application took shape in 2020, when Dr Lee was teaching the Cross-Cultural Management course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2022, HAPP has been further developed in collaboration with RDIS, with increasingly advanced versions being used across the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) to support grading and feedback in courses and programmes.
Now adopted in more than 40 courses EUR-wide, HAPP has supported nearly 9,000 evaluations and reached close to 20,000 students, demonstrating both scale and sustained value.
One workflow, better results
Unlike traditional approaches that separate grading and feedback, HAPP combines both into a single, structured workflow. Educators can assess a student’s work once, which produces both a grade and detailed, high-quality feedback.
This approach reduces administrative burden while facilitating educators to focus on what matters most: making well-informed assessment decisions and giving students meaningful feedback.
Responsible GenAI in practice
HAPP’s latest upgrade introduces GenAI in a controlled and purposeful way. Rather than assessing student work, AI supports educators in transforming rubrics into structured evaluation forms. The tool breaks down criteria into observable components and suggests performance levels, feedback statements, and scores, all of which remain subject to educator review and approval.
This distinction is critical. While many institutions are exploring AI in education, assessment requires fairness, transparency, and human oversight. HAPP demonstrates how AI can enhance – not replace – academic judgement.
Fair, quality assessment
Designing effective assessment workflows is time-intensive and often undervalued. HAPP streamlines this process, automating much of the hidden work while aligning closely with how educators naturally assess.
As Dr Lee explains, “HAPP helps to improve the structure of assessments and simultaneously keeps the educator at the centre of the evaluation. With this upgrade, GenAI assists teachers to build better evaluation forms more efficiently, and facilitates them to remain in control of the quality and fairness of their assessments.”
With growing recognition, including multiple awards, HAPP offers a practical model for institutions that seek to balance innovation with academic integrity.
More information about the HAPP tool can be requested by sending an email to happ@rsm.nl or by contacting Dr Colin Lee at clee@rsm.nl.
