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Description

As technology has gradually been integrated more and more into classrooms, one technological tool has emerged: automated writing evaluators (AWE). These evaluators offer nearly-instant, computer-generated feedback for students' writing. Many teachers and school districts have required students to use these writing evaluators for their academic writing; they are often used to save teachers time and energy. However, in retrospect, do students feel that they have become better writers through using AWE? Do experts in the field of teaching English recommend the use of AWE? What may be the future of these evaluators in the classroom? In this study, we looked that the perceptions that English teaching students at Utah State University have regarding automated writing evaluation and whether they plan to use it in their classrooms someday. English Professors at USU also shared their views on AWE and how best to give students feedback on their writing. The results showed that most English teaching students do not find these AWE to be sufficiently effective. From their experiences, their writing has improved much more from teacher feedback and peer support. Similarly, the professors shared that other modes of feedback, especially teacher feedback, should be prioritized in the classroom; however, they also shared that AWE could be a useful tool to help students think critically about writing and the role of technology. This study offers one perspective on how automated writing evaluation has been used in the recent past and what the future of it may hold.

Publication Date

12-2-2022

City

Logan, UT

Keywords

automated writing evaluators, computer generated, peer support, writing feedback

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Teacher and the Machine: Perceptions of Computer-Generated Writing Feedback

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