Abstract

At Texas Tech University, graduate students teaching freshman composition are divided into two groups: "classroom instructors," who meet students once a week to go over grammar, style, and argumentation, and to discuss weekly assignments; and "document instructors," who grade the assignments anonymously using a computer system. The new approach has cut class time in half and increased the amount of writing students do -- to about 35 essays, peer-evaluations, and self-critiques each semester. It also allows faculty members to monitor the graders closely, determining whether some are giving higher-than-average marks and reviewing their commentary. Rich Rice discusses the current development of this project and some of the findings it has facilitated at Texas Tech University.

About the Author

Rich Rice is assistant professor at Texas Tech where he serves as composition committee member, summer reading program committee member, MULL co-Director, department technology committee chair, and marathon reading founder and Sigma Tau Delta advisor. Dr. Rice also serves as an editorial board member of Kairos, C&C Online, TCQ, English Education, and The Teacher Educator. He is an EdBlogger Praxis author, and the outgoing chair of ACE.

Play the Lecture

• QuickTime (800 kilobits per second)
• QuickTime (300 kilobits per second)
• QuickTime (100 kilobits per second)
• QuickTime (40 kilobits per second)