An exploratory study into automated précis grading

Automated writing evaluation is a popular research field, but the main focus has been on evaluating argumentative essays. In this paper, we consider a different genre, namely précis texts. A précis is a written text that provides a coherent summary of main points of a spoken or written text. We present a corpus of English précis texts which all received a grade assigned by a highly-experienced English language teacher and were subsequently annotated following an exhaustive error typology. With this corpus we trained a machine learning model which relies on a number of linguistic, automatic summarization and AWE features. Our results reveal that this model is able to predict the grade of précis texts with only a moderate error margin

An Empirical Study on the Blended Teaching Mode of College English Writing Based on IWrite

IWrite automatic writing evaluation system provides a new feedback method for writing teaching. By analyzing the current situation of college English writing practice and the application of iWrite, this paper explores the real effect of iWrite system in the teaching of college English writing. It aims to construct a blended teaching mode of college English writing that combines the automatic evaluation system of writing and teacher feedback, so as to substantially improve college students’ English writing ability

Automated Essay Scoring: A Literature Review

In recent decades, large-scale English language proficiency testing and testing research have seen an increased interest in constructed-response essay-writing items (Aschbacher, 1991; Powers, Burstein, Chodorow, Fowles, & Kukich, 2001; Weigle, 2002). The TOEFL iBT, for example, includes two constructed-response writing tasks, one of which is an integrative task requiring the test-taker to write in response to information delivered both aurally and in written form (Educational Testing Service, n.d.). Similarly, the IELTS academic test requires test-takers to write in response to a question that relates to a chart or graph that the test-taker must read and interpret (International English Language Testing System, n.d.). Theoretical justification for the use of such integrative, constructed-response tasks (i.e., tasks which require the test-taker to draw upon information received through several modalities in support of a communicative function) date back to at least the early 1960’s. Carroll (1961, 1972) argued that tests which measure linguistic knowledge alone fail to predict the knowledge and abilities that score users are most likely to be interested in, i.e., prediction of actual use of language knowledge for communicative purposes in specific contexts

A Study on the Application of Pigai.org Software in Teaching University-level English Writing — Taking a Freshman Class in Chongqing as an Example

Writing correction and feedback are important links in teaching English writing. Both play a vital role in improving students' English writing ability. Pigai.org is an online service that provides correction for teachers of the English language, as well as students. He (2013) believes that traditional teaching methods of English writing have various drawbacks, such as delayed teaching feedback and requiring a heavier workload for teachers. Applying Pigai.org to the teaching of university English writing can not only improve the efficiency of teachers by reducing their workload, but is also able to enhance students' English writing ability and self-writing awareness. Based on the analysis of teaching methodology and the current situation of traditional teaching of university-level English writing, this article uses the writing sample of students as research material, questionnaires and interviews as research methods, so as to explore whether Pigai.org can be used in the teaching of university-level English writing and play a role in improving the effectiveness of university-level English writing

A Study on the Effectiveness of Automated Essay Marking in the Context of a Blended Learning Course Design

This paper reports on a study undertaken in a Chinese university in order to investigate the effectiveness of an online automated essay marking system in the context of a Blended Learning course design. Two groups of undergraduate learners studying English were required to write essays as part of their normal course. One group had their essays marked by an online automated essay marking and feedback system, the second, control group were marked by a tutor who provided feedback in the normal way. Their essay scores and attitudes to the essay writing tasks were compared. It was found that learners were not disadvantaged by the automated essay marking system. Their mean performance was better (p<0.01) than the tutor marked control for seven of the essays and showed no difference for three essays. In no case did the tutor marked essay group score higher than the automated system. Correlations were performed that indicated that for both groups there was a significant improvement in performance (p<0.05) over the duration of the course and that there was a significant relationship between essay scores for the groups (p<0.01). An investigation of attitude to the automated system as compared to the tutor marked system was more complex. It was found that there was a significant difference in the attitudes of those classified as low and high performers (p<0.05). In the discussion these findings are placed in a Blended Learning context

Intelligent CALL

This chapter describes the provision of corrective feedback in Tutorial CALL, sketching the challenges in the research and development of computational parsers and grammars. The automatic evaluation and assessment of free-form learner texts paying attention to linguistic accuracy, rhetorical structures, textual complexity, and written fluency is at the centre of attention in the section on Automatic Writing Evaluation. Reading and Incidental Vocabulary Learning Aids looks at the advantages of lexical glosses, or look-up information in electronic dictionaries for reading material aimed at language learners. The conclusion looks at the role of ICALL in the context of general trends in CALL

Research on the Application of Intelligent Evaluation and Teacher-student Cooperation Assessment System in Teaching English Writing

Low efficiency in teaching and time-consuming in writing evaluation are two big problems for college English teachers. Therefore, it is necessary to create a new teaching model to solve these problems existing in traditional classroom-based teaching. This research adopts the research methods of test comparison before and after the students’ composition experiment, questionnaire and semi-open interviews. Empirical research on a new teaching model that integrates the intelligent composition review and reform system represented by Piangai.com and the collaborative evaluation of teachers and students is conducted. The research results show that the new writing teaching model improves the quality of students’ writing, promotes students’ learning initiative, and enhances students’ writing self-efficacy. This writing teaching model provides ideas for solving the problem of time-consuming and inefficient English writing teaching in large classes

Implications of AES System of Pigai for Self-regulated Learning

Recent preoccupation with Chinese English-as-the-foreign-language (EFL) learners’ unsatisfying writing performance leads to a growing interest in the use of automatic essay scoring system (AES) in EFL writing in China. Pigai (www.pigai.org), being an online AES system specialised for Chinese EFL learners, has been popularised. Yet, research into Pigai is underdeveloped and constrained by simply evaluating its linguistic effectiveness; while this research innovates in investigating the efficacy of Pigai as a self-regulated learning (SRL) instrument to judge whether it should be promoted to benefit Chinese EFL learners’ writing. This study analysed and compared the changes in the quality of texts after revising via Pigai and contrasted learners’ tendency to English writing before and after the use of Pigai, ultimately examining its qualification as a SRL instrument along the sociological, pedagogical and psychological dimensions. Data for this study was collected via an experiment and follow-up interviews with undergraduate Chinese EFL learners. Results suggest that Pigai users achieved improvements in the quality of the texts and showed greater passion and persistence, as well as confidence, oriented to EFL writing. It is thus inferred that Pigai is qualified enough as a SRL instrument and could be applied into Chinese learners’ English writing

Defining Strong State Accountability Systems: How Can Better Standards Gain Greater Traction?

This report is a pilot study intended to inform a larger analysis of the accountability systems in every state (and the District of Columbia) during the  early years of Common Core implementation. We ask that the reader treat it as  such and provide us with feedback on the accountability principles contained  herein. We plan to apply these principles, once revised, to all fifty state  accountability systems in order to appraise their quality. Our first national report  is slated for early 2013, with follow?up studies two and four years later. Tracking  systems in this manner will prove beneficial because many states will be in "flux"  over the next several years as they refine and adapt their systems based on the  demands of the Common Core and on the plans and promises outlined in their  recently approved waivers (and/or those provisions detailed by ESEA  reauthorization legislation—assuming Congress one day gets its act together).Fordham is also conducting three other studies pertinent to CCSS implementation.  The first is an analysis of Common Core implementation costs; the second, an in? depth study of district?level implementation of CCSS; and the third, a nationally  representative survey of English language arts teachers that assesses the rigor of  their reading assignments both before and after implementation of CCSS (summer  2012 and spring 2015)