I read the point/counterpoint discussion "Should Computers Grade Essays?" featuring the ideas of two passionate teachers with distinctly different visions regarding the implications of allowing computers to do just that. Steve Taffee, a high school English teacher, argued that "technology should free teachers to teach" and that allowing computers to assess spelling, grammar, plagiarism, bias, and more, would do just that. Moreover, he believes that it's impossible to be objective when grading and that the first ten essays are typically graded differently than the last ten and that a student's name on a paper can unintentionally affect his/her grade. On the other hand, Evi Wusk, EdD, an assistant professor of education, maintained that, though the burden of reading essays is difficult to manage, "the reader-writer connection is a distinctly human experience" and can't be replaced by computers. She insists that computers can't evaluate subjective elements such as voice and that the point of teacher assessment is important communication.
Before reading the article, I expected to oppose computer grading of essays. Like Dr. Wusk, I believed that writing is too subjective to be accurately assessed by computers and that writing is meant to be read. Those beliefs haven't changed but I was convinced by Steve Taffee that computers can be an extremely efficient tool in prewriting. As a student, I would've loved the opportunity to see a detailed assessment of my writing before handing it off to be read by another. I imagine Dr. Wusk, too, would appreciate clean essays when it became time to read for voice. Maybe the answer is to allow the computer to edit, require the student to rewrite, and then submit to the teacher for grading. Or, as Taffee also suggested, maybe we put to much emphasis on the teacher's feedback and that students would be engaged even further if their post-production computer-graded essays were posted for peer review. These tactics would then leave time for teachers to help students develop their own voices and for self-reflection.
If the goal is to hold students and teachers to the ISTE Standards, the use of computer-graded essays and peer review would address Student Standard 2 by allowing them to collaborate and publish with peers. I have to admit that, personally, I may put even more effort into a writing assignment knowing that my peers would read it than I might for a grade from my teacher. Taffee mentioned that exercises such as these "bring an additional level of pride of authorship" and I tend to agree.
I read recently that the people hired to grade the new Smarter Balanced assessment essays weren't typically teachers and being paid $12/hr to do the work. Parents at my children's elementary school were offended by that practice and I could see their point. What do you think about this type of grading? Would you prefer a computer do it? Do you think they're both inappropriate?
Wusk E., &Taffee S. (May 2013). Should Computers Grade Essays? Learning and Leading, 6-7.
Hi Kristin,
ReplyDeleteAs with a lot of these point/counterpoint arguments, both writers have good ideas. I think one practical element is what you mentioned as far as grammar. From my experience, teachers do not mark every case of an error so as to avoid degrading students' self-esteem. With a computer, I think teachers could avoid the human element of the hit on self-esteem by putting the onus on the computer.
As far as paying people to grade new essays? I can see people being offended, but as long as there is a transparent rubric for grading, one that is as objective as possible, I think parents have little reason to contend. Still, there ought to be no doubt that parents want the person accountable for grading their child's essay to be present and, dare I say, subjective.