pointcounterpoint
Should Computers Grade Essays?
YES
It is important that
students write and
write frequently,
but there’s nothing
that says that the
teacher needs to be
the sole reader and
arbiter of what students write. Savvy
teachers understand that rewriting is
an enormously useful tool in helping
students gain writing skills. Just as word
processing has made rewriting easier, so
can technology make reading, grading,
and rereading easier.
Computers are adept and fast at find-
ing errors in spelling, punctuation, and
grammar. Computers can also check
for plagiarism, ensure that sources are
correctly cited, and evaluate text for
bias. Not only does this save teachers
precious time, but the students benefit
from real-time, objective grading of
their work.
NO
I understand the
burden of essay
grading. The dread
is similar to what
I felt each time my
new baby wailed at
3 a.m.: “Why me?
Why now? Why another ‘How to make
a peanut butter and jelly sandwich’ essay?” You might think that, as a former
English teacher and current educational
technology teacher at the college level,
I would be a cheerleader for the idea
of automated essay grading. But here I
stand holding, instead of pom-poms, a
bright orange sign with three cautions:
Writing is for reading. The NETS prod
us to work for authentic learning in
real-world situations. They challenge
us to teach by using problems to drive
content. In the real world, what is
writing if not an active response to
problems (explaining, persuading,
describing, entertaining)? Real-world
writing is not a factory-processed five-
paragraph essay that can be graded by
a computer.
