I was reading online a while ago about a computer program that had been created to make the work of marking hundreds of essays less time consuming. The program is called Qualrus and is being trialled at the University of Missouri to mark sociology essays. Apparently the computer software is able to give students, who upload drafts of their essays online, detailed feedback within seconds. It does this by comparing previous work that has been loaded and submitted by students and information entered by the course tutor. It can pick up word patterns used by the student to determine whether their arguments are sound and then give the essay a numerical score, based on the weight that instructors place on certain sections.
According to the professor who created the software, it is quite accurate and there are rarely instances where they disagree with the feedback given by the computer program. If this trial is successful then programs such as this could greatly reduce the amount of hours that instructors spend marking essays and would enable students to get instant feedback on their essays as frequently as they desire. I personally am wary of programs that can think too much, mainly because I seen too many terminator films, however if this program has continued success and can be adapted to other areas of learning, then I think the creator will worth millions in years to come!
If you would like to read more, check out the BBC News online.
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