Essential Question: Can AI Enhance Writing Assessment?
Grading student writing is a complex task, especially when dealing with a significant number of assignments. Deborah sought to answer the essential question: Can AI (ChatGPT) assist with grading student writing and provide meaningful and timely feedback?
The Experiment Unveiled: 10 Interactions with ChatGPT
Deborah engaged ChatGPT in a conversation, presenting writing samples for assessment and exploring the AI's ability to generate feedback. Here are the key interactions:
- General Grading of Writing Assignment:
- Request: Grade a 3rd-grade writing assignment.
- AI's Response: Provides detailed feedback on organization, content, grammar and mechanics, vocabulary, and overall impression.
- Justification of Scores:
- Request: Inquires about how the AI came up with the scores.
- AI's Response: Clarifies that AI doesn't assign scores and the provided scores were illustrative.
- Use of a Rubric:
- Request: Asks if the AI can use a provided rubric to grade a piece of writing.
- AI's Response: Agrees to help create a rubric and use it for grading, emphasizing the need for human evaluation.
- Creation of a Rubric in a Table:
- Request: Asks the AI to create a rubric in a table.
- AI's Response: Presents the rubric in a table format for easy reference.
- Scoring Student Work with Rubric:
- Request: Instructs the AI to use the rubric to grade a writing sample.
- AI's Response: Provides scores and feedback based on the rubric for the first writing sample.
- Scoring More Student Work:
- Request: Tasks the AI with grading another writing sample using the same rubric.
- AI's Response: Provides scores and feedback for the second writing sample.
- Challenging AI Scoring of Student Work:
- Request: Challenges the AI's scoring of the first sample, asking for a regrade.
- AI's Response: Acknowledges the challenge and adjusts the scores accordingly.
- Adjusting Grading System for Student Work:
- Request: Instructs the AI to grade a writing sample with attention to spelling and grammar errors.
- AI's Response: Provides scores and feedback based on the identified errors.
- Highlighting Errors Identified by AI:
- Request: Asks the AI to point out grammar and mechanics errors in the provided writing sample.
- AI's Response: Lists various errors, including capitalization inconsistencies and punctuation errors.
- Challenging AI Grading:
- Request: Seeks clarification on why the AI suggested "Squid protects" instead of "Squid protect."
- AI's Response: Clarifies the proper verb tense usage based on singular noun agreement.
Observations and Reflections: A Rollercoaster of Learning
Deborah's experiment led to several fascinating observations:
- Subjectivity of Grading: AI acknowledges the subjective nature of grading, emphasizing the necessity of human judgment.
- Adaptability to Input: ChatGPT dynamically responds to alterations in the input text, showcasing an understanding of nuanced prompts.
- User-Driven Grading: Users can challenge AI scores and prompt reevaluation, providing a degree of control over the assessment process.
- Error Explanation: AI not only identifies errors but, excitingly, explains the rationale behind corrections, fostering deeper understanding.
- Consideration of Privacy: Deborah emphasizes the importance of adhering to privacy policies when using AI for student work.
Final Thoughts: Navigating the AI Landscape
While the experiment took around 15 minutes, Deborah acknowledges the potential for streamlining the process with improved prompts. The journey with ChatGPT promises a rollercoaster of emotions, but the potential benefits for education and student learning are immense.
In conclusion, embracing AI in education requires careful consideration of its capabilities and limitations. As we venture into this transformative era, educators can harness the power of AI to enhance the writing assessment process, providing students with valuable feedback and fostering a deeper understanding of language mechanics. The future of education is evolving, and AI is undoubtedly a key player in shaping it.
