Published Jul 7, 2024 ⦁ 11 min read
Automated Writing Evaluation Tools: Guide 2024

Automated Writing Evaluation Tools: Guide 2024

Here's what you need to know about Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools in 2024:

  • AWE tools use computer programs to check and improve writing
  • They can find grammar, structure, and style mistakes
  • Main benefits: save time, give fair feedback, help individual learning
  • 4 types: grammar/spelling, style/readability, content review, plagiarism checkers
  • Popular tools: Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Ginger Software, PaperRater
  • Used in education, academic, creative, technical, and business writing
  • Drawbacks: accuracy issues, over-reliance, ethical concerns

Quick comparison of top AWE tools:

Tool Main Use Free Version Paid Version Platforms
Grammarly General writing checks Yes $11.66/month Web, Desktop, Mobile
ProWritingAid Detailed writing reports Yes $20/month Web, Desktop
Ginger Writing checks + translation Yes $12.48/month Web, Desktop, Mobile
PaperRater Writing quality checks Yes $14.95/month Web

AWE tools are useful but shouldn't replace human feedback. Use them alongside traditional teaching for best results.

2. How AWE Technology Works

AWE technology uses computer programs to check and improve writing. Let's look at how these tools work.

2.1 AWE Tool Basics

AWE tools use special computer methods to look at written text. These methods are trained on lots of writing examples. This helps them find mistakes in grammar, how sentences are put together, and writing style. When someone puts their writing into an AWE tool, the tool checks it and gives advice on how to make it better.

2.2 Main Parts of AWE Systems

AWE systems have three main parts:

Part What it does
Parser Breaks the writing into smaller pieces like sentences and words
Analyzer Looks for mistakes and things to improve in the writing
Generator Gives advice to the writer based on what the analyzer found

2.3 How AWE Tools Learn

AWE tools use two main computer methods:

  1. Natural Language Processing (NLP): This helps the tool understand human writing.
  2. Machine Learning: This helps the tool get better at its job over time.

These methods help AWE tools give good advice to writers and help them improve their work.

3. Advantages of AWE Tools

AWE tools have changed how teachers and students work with writing. These tools offer many good things for modern writing education.

3.1 Saves Time

AWE tools save time for teachers and students. Instead of teachers spending hours giving feedback by hand, these tools do it quickly. This lets teachers focus on other important parts of teaching. Students get quick feedback, so they can fix their writing faster.

3.2 Fair Feedback

AWE tools give the same kind of feedback to everyone. This helps avoid unfair grading. People might have their own opinions when grading, but AWE tools use computer programs to check writing. This makes sure the feedback is fair and the same for all students.

3.3 Helps Each Student

AWE tools can help each student in their own way. They look at how a student writes and find what they do well and what they need to work on. This helps students focus on getting better at the things they find hard.

3.4 Better Writing Skills

Using AWE tools often can help students write better over time. Here's how:

How AWE Tools Improve Writing
Give quick feedback
Help students fix mistakes right away
Show students what good writing looks like
Let students practice writing more

As students use these tools, they learn more about good writing and get better at it.

4. AWE Tool Categories

AWE tools come in four main types. Each type helps with different parts of writing. Let's look at these types:

4.1 Grammar and Spelling Tools

These tools fix grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. They use computer programs to find errors and suggest fixes. Some examples are:

Tool What it does
Grammarly Checks grammar and spelling
Ginger Fixes writing errors
ProWritingAid Helps improve writing

4.2 Style and Readability Tools

These tools make writing easier to read and understand. They look at how sentences are made and what words are used. Some examples are:

Tool What it does
Hemingway Editor Makes writing clear
Readability Score Checks how easy text is to read
Slick Write Helps improve writing style

4.3 Content Review Tools

These tools check what the writing is about. They make sure ideas make sense and fit together. Some examples are:

Tool What it does
eRevise Checks writing content
MI Write Helps organize ideas
Writing Analytics Looks at how writing is put together

4.4 Plagiarism Checkers

These tools find copied work. They compare writing to other sources to see if it's original. Some examples are:

Tool What it does
Turnitin Checks for copied work in schools
PlagScan Finds copied text
Quetext Compares writing to other sources

5. Top AWE Tools in 2024

Here are some well-known AWE tools:

Tool Main Use
Grammarly Checks writing and suggests fixes
ProWritingAid Gives detailed writing reports
Ginger Software Checks writing and translates
PaperRater Checks writing quality

These tools help students, teachers, and workers write better.

5.2 Tool Features Comparison

Here's how these tools compare:

Feature Grammarly ProWritingAid Ginger Software PaperRater
Grammar and Spelling Check
Readability Check
Copied Work Check
Language Translation
Custom Feedback

This table shows what each tool can do, helping you pick the best one for you.

5.3 Cost and Availability

Here's how much these tools cost and where you can use them:

Tool Free Version Paid Version Where to Use
Grammarly $11.66/month Web, Computer, Phone
ProWritingAid $20/month Web, Computer
Ginger Software $12.48/month Web, Computer, Phone
PaperRater $14.95/month Web

All tools have a free version with some limits. Paid versions give you more features and help.

sbb-itb-1831901

6. Using AWE in Education

6.1 AWE and Learning Management Systems

AWE tools can work with learning management systems (LMS) to help students write better. This makes it easier for students to use AWE tools and for teachers to check their work.

Here's how to add AWE tools to LMS:

Strategy Description
One login Students use their LMS login for AWE tools
Link to grades AWE tools connect to LMS grades
Change settings Pick AWE tools that fit your LMS needs

6.2 Teaching Educators to Use AWE

To help teachers use AWE tools well, schools can:

  • Hold training classes
  • Give out how-to guides
  • Let teachers share tips with each other

6.3 Mixing AWE and Human Feedback

Using both AWE tools and teacher feedback helps students improve their writing. Here's how to do it:

Feedback Type What It Checks
AWE tools Grammar, spelling, and word choice
Teachers Ideas, organization, and writing style

Students should look at both types of feedback to make their writing better.

7. AWE for Different Writing Types

7.1 AWE in Academic Writing

AWE tools help with academic writing like papers and theses. They make writing clearer and better by:

What AWE tools do How it helps
Fix grammar mistakes Makes writing correct
Improve sentences Makes ideas easier to understand
Make text easier to read Helps readers follow the ideas

Students and researchers can use AWE tools to focus on their ideas while the tools help with writing basics.

7.2 AWE for Creative Writing

AWE tools can also help with stories and poems. They look at:

  • How sentences are made
  • Word choices
  • How the writing flows

Writers can use these tools to try new styles and make their writing better.

7.3 AWE in Technical Writing

Technical writing needs to be clear. AWE tools help by:

What AWE tools check Why it's important
Sentence structure Makes ideas easier to follow
Unclear language Helps avoid confusion
Text flow Makes documents easier to read

These tools help technical writers make their work easier to understand.

7.4 AWE for Business Writing

For business writing like reports and emails, AWE tools can:

  • Make writing sound more professional
  • Help readers understand the text better
  • Improve how the writing sounds

This helps business people write better for their work.

8. AWE Drawbacks and Limits

AWE tools are helpful, but they have some problems. Let's look at what these tools can't do well.

8.1 Accuracy Problems

AWE tools sometimes make mistakes. They might:

Problem Result
Miss errors Leave mistakes in writing
Give wrong advice Make writing worse
Not understand context Suggest changes that don't fit

A study showed that one AWE tool, Criterion, helped non-native speakers write better. But even the best tools can be wrong sometimes.

8.2 Using AWE Too Much

People might rely on AWE tools too much. This can cause problems:

Issue Effect
Less thinking Writers don't learn to fix their own mistakes
Less skill growth Writers don't get better at writing on their own

Webber says machine scoring can be "trivial," "reductive," and "inaccurate." This means AWE tools shouldn't replace human feedback completely.

8.3 AWE and Ethics

Using AWE tools can raise ethical questions, especially in schools:

Concern Problem
Unfair to some students The tool might work better for some groups than others
Less connection to writing Students might not care as much about their work

These issues can make it harder for some students to learn and improve their writing.

9. Future of AWE Technology

AWE tools are getting better thanks to new computer methods. Let's look at what's coming next for these tools.

9.1 Better Computer Programs

New computer programs called AI and machine learning are making AWE tools work better. These programs can:

Improvement How it helps
Look at lots of writing Find more mistakes
Learn from many examples Give better advice
Understand writing better Help in more ways

Monica Arés talked about how these new programs could change how we teach and learn writing.

9.2 Tools That Fit Each Person

Future AWE tools will be better at helping each student. They might:

Feature Benefit
Change based on how you write Give advice that fits you
Focus on what you need help with Help you get better faster
Work differently for each person Make learning easier for everyone

These new tools will help students improve their writing in ways that work best for them.

9.3 AWE and Other Learning Tools

AWE tools will work with other computer programs used for learning. This will make them more useful. Here's what we might see:

Combination What it does
AWE + Learning Management Systems Teachers can see how students are doing
AWE + Writing Practice Programs Students can practice and get help at the same time
AWE + Online Classes Writing help built into online lessons

10. Tips for Using AWE Tools

10.1 What to Expect from AWE Tools

AWE tools are helpful, but they're not perfect. Here's what to keep in mind:

What to Remember Why It's Important
AWE tools can make mistakes Don't trust them completely
They can't replace teachers Human feedback is still needed
Set clear goals for using them Helps students use tools well

Use AWE tools along with teacher feedback. This helps students get better at writing and understand how to use these tools.

10.2 Using AWE with Regular Teaching

AWE tools work best when used with normal teaching methods. Here's how to do it:

Strategy How It Helps
Use AWE and teacher feedback Students get more help
Mix AWE with writing classes Makes learning more complete
Let students set writing goals Helps them improve on their own

This mix of methods helps students learn to write better using both AWE tools and teacher help.

10.3 Thinking Past AWE Feedback

While AWE tools give good advice, students should learn to think about their writing too. Try these ideas:

Idea What It Does
Ask students to think about their writing Helps them find ways to get better
Use peer review Students learn from each other
Focus on fixing and editing Students take charge of their writing

These steps help students become better writers, not just better at using AWE tools.

11. Wrap-up

11.1 Key Points

This guide looked at Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools and how they can change writing teaching and learning. Here are the main things to remember:

Key Point Description
Time-saving AWE tools help teachers and students work faster
Fair feedback These tools give the same kind of advice to everyone
Personal help AWE can fit each student's needs
Writing improvement Using AWE often can make writing better over time
Different types There are many kinds of AWE tools, each with good and bad points
Not a replacement AWE helps teachers but doesn't take their place

11.2 AWE's Place in Writing Classes

As we look ahead, it's important to think about how AWE tools might change writing classes. New computer methods will make AWE tools better at:

  • Finding mistakes
  • Giving good advice
  • Helping each student in their own way

This could make writing classes work better, with students getting quick help to fix their work. But it's key to remember that AWE tools should work with teachers, not instead of them. By using AWE tools the right way, we can make writing classes better for everyone.

Related posts