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Computers Grade Students' Writing
Associated Press ^ | 5/8/05 | Associated Press

Posted on 05/08/2005 10:04:11 PM PDT by byset

COLUMBIA, Missouri -- Student essays always seem to be riddled with the same sorts of flaws. So sociology professor Ed Brent decided to hand the work off -- to a computer.

Students in Brent's Introduction to Sociology course at the University of Missouri-Columbia now submit drafts through the SAGrader software he designed. It counts the number of points he wanted his students to include and analyzes how well concepts are explained.

And within seconds, students have a score.

(Excerpt) Read more at channels.netscape.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: computers; education; testing
The really exceptional part of this story is that there is a sociology professor who can program a computer.
1 posted on 05/08/2005 10:04:12 PM PDT by byset
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To: byset

Well, it's not as though he's teaching anything useful; this just gives him more time to attend anti-American rallies.


2 posted on 05/08/2005 10:06:26 PM PDT by decal ("The French should stick to kisses, toast and fries.")
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To: byset
Student tip: Use the Online Essay Generator
3 posted on 05/08/2005 10:09:57 PM PDT by martin_fierro (See what I did there?)
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To: byset

Actually, once the same or very similar system [but done manually] was introduced by graduate student TAs for grading the undergrads' papers at Princeton. We used to scan the scribbling for the key points (key words even) and check the answers - and spent seconds (about 30 sec) per paper for grading. It surely beat having to read all that crap only to come to the same result several minutes later.


4 posted on 05/08/2005 10:10:45 PM PDT by GSlob
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To: martin_fierro

Awesome link! Wish I would have had that back in college. Sadly, the randomly generated essays are a good deal better than my own pain-stakingly written ones.


5 posted on 05/08/2005 10:14:14 PM PDT by Cyclopean Squid (History remembers only what was, not what might have been.)
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To: martin_fierro

Wow. that essay generator thing is great. enter in a phrase like "my left testicle" and hilarity ensues.


6 posted on 05/08/2005 10:21:49 PM PDT by byset
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To: byset

Well, if it doesn't work any better than MicroSoft's spell check and grammar check, I wouldn't want it to gradeMY work.


7 posted on 05/08/2005 10:40:19 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

No, it probably doesn't work any better than Microsoft's spell check, but it still might work better than a sociology professor.


8 posted on 05/08/2005 11:01:38 PM PDT by byset
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To: byset; All
My topic was "Why DU'ers are complete morons. Here is my generated essay:

An essay on Why DU'ers are complete morons The subject of Why DU'ers are complete morons has been covered intensively by the world press over the past decade. I find my self constantly drawn back to the subject of Why DU'ers are complete morons. Though Why DU'ers are complete morons is a favourite topic of discussion amongst monarchs, presidents and dictators, it is important to remember that ‘what goes up must come down.’ The juxtapositioning of Why DU'ers are complete morons with fundamental economic, social and political strategic conflict draws criticism from global commercial enterprises, many of whom fail to comprehend the full scope of Why DU'ers are complete morons. Keeping all of this in mind, in this essay I will examine the major issues.

Social Factors

Interweaving social trends form a strong net in which we are all trapped. When blues legend 'Bare Foot D' remarked 'awooooh eeee only my dawg understands me' [1] he borrowed much from Why DU'ers are complete morons. While the western world use a knife and fork, the Chinese use chopsticks. Of course Why DU'ers are complete morons raises the question 'why?'

Recent thought on Why DU'ers are complete morons has been a real eye-opener for society from young to old. Just as a dog will return to its own sick, society will return to Why DU'ers are complete morons, again and again.

Economic Factors

Increasingly economic growth and innovation are being attributed to Why DU'ers are complete morons. We will begin by looking at the Fish-Out-Of-Water model, making allowances for recent changes in interest rates.
Annual
Military
Budget
  Why DU'ers are complete morons


What a splendid graph. Well the annual military budget looms over Why DU'ers are complete morons this cannot be a coincidence. Assumptions made by traders have caused uncertainty amongst the private sector.

Political Factors

The media have made politics quite a spectacle. Comparing the ideals of the young with the reality felt by their elders is like contrasting night and day.

It is always enlightening to consider the words of nobel prize winner Bonaventure Skank 'Political idealists must ideally deal, for I daily list my ideals politically.' [2] Amazingly, he new nothing of Why DU'ers are complete morons until he was well into his thirties. Both spectacular failure and unequaled political accomplishment may be accredited to Why DU'ers are complete morons.

I hope, for our sake that Why DU'ers are complete morons will endure.

Conclusion

We can say with certainty Why DU'ers are complete morons must not be allowed to get in the way of the bigger question: why are we here? Putting this aside its of great importance. It inspires, invades where necessary and most importantly it perseveres.

I will leave the last word to the famous Wyclef Astaire: 'I wouldn't be where I am today without Why DU'ers are complete morons.' [3]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Bare Foot D - Classic - 1967 Stinton Records

[2] Skank - Politics for Dummies - PV6 Media

[3] Sham Magazine - Issue 124 - Monkey Books
9 posted on 05/08/2005 11:08:18 PM PDT by politicket (We now live in a society where "tolerance" is celebrated at the expense of moral correctness.)
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