Visualizing Formative Feedback in Statistics Writing:A Case Study of Student Motivation Using Docuscope Write & Audit

34 Pages Posted: 12 May 2023

See all articles by Michael Laudenbach

Michael Laudenbach

Carnegie Mellon University

David West Brown

Carnegie Mellon University

Zhiyu Guo

Carnegie Mellon University

Suguru Ishizaki

Carnegie Mellon University

Alex Reinhart

Carnegie Mellon University

Gordon Weinberg

Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract

Recently, formative writing feedback has been supported by technologies generally referred to as Automated Writing Evaluation tools. However, such tools are limited in their capacity to explore disciplinary genres, and they have shown mixed results in student writing improvement. We explore how our new software can promote self-efficacy in the user’s writing choices, both reinforcing content knowledge and increasing student motivation.Using a text-visualization tool called Write & Audit, we hosted revision workshops for an introductory-level statistics course. The tool is designed to be flexible: instructors of various courses can create expectations and predefine topics that are genre-specific. In this way, students are offered non-evaluative formative feedback which redirects them to field-specific strategies. To gauge the usefulness of Write & Audit, we used a previously validated survey instrument designed to measure the construct model of student motivation (Ling et al. 2021). Our results show significant increases in student self-efficacy and beliefs about the importance of content in successful writing. We contextualize these findings with data from student think-aloud interviews which demonstrate metacognitive awareness while using the tool. Ultimately, this case study contributes a novel approach to automated formative feedback and confirms the promising potential of Write & Audit.

Keywords: Automated writing evaluation (AWE), Formative Feedback, Statistics, Writing in the Disciplines (WID), Writing assessment, Writing motivation

Suggested Citation

Laudenbach, Michael and Brown, David West and Guo, Zhiyu and Ishizaki, Suguru and Reinhart, Alex and Weinberg, Gordon, Visualizing Formative Feedback in Statistics Writing:A Case Study of Student Motivation Using Docuscope Write & Audit. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4445888 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4445888

Michael Laudenbach (Contact Author)

Carnegie Mellon University ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

David West Brown

Carnegie Mellon University ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

Zhiyu Guo

Carnegie Mellon University ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

Suguru Ishizaki

Carnegie Mellon University ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

Alex Reinhart

Carnegie Mellon University ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

Gordon Weinberg

Carnegie Mellon University ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

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