Computer says no: automated essay grading in the world of MOOCs

By Mark Gregory. An essay you submit in an online course might not be graded by humans but by computers instead.
Let us consider the following scenario.
You have enrolled in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered by a world renowned university. After four weeks of solid work you have completed your first assignment and you sit down to upload the essay. Within a second of the essay being sent for grading your result appears declaring your essay to be a less than stellar effort.
But the essay might not have even been seen by a human, but instead been graded entirely by a computer system comparing your essay to sample essays in a database. EdX, a non-profit MOOC provider founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, introduced automated essay grading capability in a software upgrade earlier this year. Read more...