New software grades papers

A new computer program, Qualrus, is introducing a novel approach to grading papers. The software system was developed by Professor Edward Brent at the University of Missouri at Columbia over the course of six years. Qualrus works by scanning the text for keywords, phrases and language patterns. Students are able to get nearly instant feedback using this program.

In statement to BBC News, Brent stated, "The program uses several different intelligence strategies. It compares the information with that offered by all previous candidates and the information entered previously by the course tutor."

Many cannot help but wonder whether a computer program would be able to accurately grade a paper. Would a computer program really be able to comprehend the art and nuance of writing? Dr. Brent asserts that the program is rather sophisticated. By analyzing sentence and paragraph structure, Qualrus is able to accurately determine whether the arguments and ideas flow properly. Each essay is given a numeric score on the basis of which elements each professor chooses to emphasize.

Professor Brent also affirmed that that the new program would not replace grading by instructors. Rather, it will guide students while they are writing drafts for papers.

Qualrus will help them assess whether their paper fits the assignment's criteria before handing in their work. However, Professor Brent stated that the faculty, "rarely disagree[s] with what the program has said." He adds, "But we don't want to create just a template which operates to the detriment of student originality. We try to make it flexible."

Professor Brent claims that the program will save the faculty "hundreds of hours of marking time." He states that Qualrus, "makes our job more interesting because we don't have to deal so much with the facts and can concentrate more on thinking."

Generally, 70 to 200 students enroll in the sociology course which Professor Brent teaches at the University of Missouri. Students were recently asked in a survey whether they would rather submit essays or complete multiple choice questions as the main form of assignment. Professor Brent said: "Students were two-to-one in favor of essays. They would far rather write longer pieces of work and this enables them to get better feedback."

He also confirmed that undergraduates voted in favor of using the computer program that he developed. Professor Brent reasons that a majority of students voted in favor of Qualrus since they would be able to, "revise their work as many times as they like before submitting their final effort."

Since he started to use the software system, Professor Brent has claimed that he has seen an overall marked improvement in the quality of his students' essays. He is currently the only instructor who is using Qualrus, despite the fact that the program has been approved for school-wide use.

Although this concept of grading is rather novel, Qualrus is not the first software system of its kind. In high schools throughout Indiana, a computer program called E-rater was used to mark essays in statewide English tests last year.

This system was developed by the Educational Testing Services, which has developed the SAT and the Graduate Records Examinations or GRE. ETS anticipates that ten other states will also adopt the computer program within the next four years.

Meanwhile, Brent, who received a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the computer program, is currently searching for distributors for Qualrus. He has declines to mention the names of textbook publishers and businesses with which he has spoken to.

Professor Brent disclosed that he plans to donate a small percentage of profits from sales of Qualrus to the World Wildlife Fund.