phase 5 - evaluate and revise integration strategies

8/7/2019 Phase 5 - Evaluate and Revise Integration Strategies

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Integrating Technology to Assist English 101

Students with Their Essays

Introduction

Van Horn (2010) wrote, , peer review can provide students with critical feedback and

an authentic collaborative writing process before their final drafts are completed. Moreover,students who participated in peer review workshops deepened their conceptual understanding,

improved their writing skills, and familiarized themselves with good writing habits (Cathey,

2007). In an attempt to improve student writing, the instructor asked students to participate inpeer review feedback workshops using an online collaborative processing application known as

Google Docs. Students posted their essays for classmates to view, and peers posted comments on

classmates essays. Online collaborative word processing applications were easy to use.

Summary Data

As a pre-assessment of the students writing capabilities, each student submitted a

diagnostic essay on a topic of choice. The diagnostic essay, worth 100 points, did not receive

peer review feedback and were scored by the teacher using a checklist based on five criteria

Introduction, 3 Support Paragraphs, Point of View, Conclusion, and MLA Format. Each categorycarried a weight of 20 points. Scores from the diagnostic essay are presented in Table 1.

Diagnostic Essay

The class average for the diagnostic essay was 39.375. None of the students used a

consistent point of view (first or third person point of view), and they did not use the MLAformat. So, each paper was deducted 40 points. In cases where students scored only 30 points,

their paragraphs lacked organization and /or style. The diagnostic essay score was not a recorded

grade. Each essay was returned with teacher comments.

Table 1: Diagnostic Essay Scores

Student Scores Student Scores

1 60 10 Absent

2 60 11 30

3 0 12 30

4 0 13 605 60 14 0

6 60 15 60

7 60 16 0

8 30 17 60

9 60


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Descriptive Essay

With the descriptive essays, 13 students participated in the optional peer reviewworkshop, and 4 students chose not to participate. Results detailing the two groups performed are

presented in Table 2. Based on the results of the students who chose to engage in the peer review

activity, they clearly demonstrated that they were capable of composing of essays, developingcontent, employing specific organizational patterns, and selecting language appropriate for a

particular audience and purpose. Each student, regardless of grade, was invited to reflect in the

form of a conference with the instructor. Each student was encouraged to review the gradeearned for the descriptive essay and to make any adjustments to ensure his or her success in

English 101.

Table 2: Descriptive Essay Results of Peer Review

Student Score Peer

Review

Student Score Peer

Review

1 86 Y 4 0 N

2 84 Y 10 71 N

3 93 Y 12 64 N

5 86 Y 16 70 N

6 93 Y

7 90 Y

8 89 Y

9 85 Y

11 90 Y

13 80 Y

14 91 Y

15 93 Y

17 100 Y

Average

Score

89.23 Average

Score

51.25


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Compare and Contrast Essay

Use of peer review during the writing of the compare and contrast essays was not used as

widely as it had been with the descriptive essays. The one student, who provided and receivedpeer review, managed to earn a grade of 65 because she or he chose not to consider the

comments provided. The findings are revealed in Table 3. As with the descriptive essay, studentswere invited to conference with the instructor and were asked to consider making adjustments to

ensure the desired grades. Overall, those who effectively used the peer feedback scoredconsiderably better than their peers.

Table 3: Compare and Contrast Essay Results of Peer Review

Student Score Peer

Review

Student Score Peer

Review

5 81 Y 1 73 N

11 90 Y 2 73 N

12 65 Y 3 0 N

13 83 Y 4 0 N

14 81 Y 6 73 N

17 100 Y 7 70 N

8 87 N

9 75 N

10 0 N

15 90 N

16 0 N

AverageScore

83.33 AverageScore

49.18


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Cause and Effect Essay

After a class discussion about the positive and negative aspects of peer review, students

saw that they were not earning the scores desired. At the time of the grading of the cause andeffect essays (Table 4), three students withdrew. At some point, a counselor from the College

followed up with each student to discuss the reason(s) for withdrawing from English 101. Again,

those who chose to use peer feedback outscored those who did not.

Table 4: Cause and Effect Essay Results of Peer Review

Student Score Peer

Review

Student Score Peer

Review

5 75 Y 1 63 N

6 100 Y 2 63 N

12 80 Y 3

Withdrew

n/a

13 92 Y 4

Withdrew

n/a

14 85 Y 7 63 N

16 80 Y 8 81 N

17 100 Y 9 63 N

10

Withdrew

n/a

11 81 N

15 75 N

Average

Score

87.43 Average

Score

69.86


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Argumentation Essay

Data for the argumentation essay (Table 5) was incomplete because six students did notsubmit their argumentation essays before the end of this project. However, based on theinformation available, peer review helped seven of eight students earn an A or B on the final

essay. The remaining student did not make any adjustments based on the peer review notes.

However, he or she did provide peer review.

Table 5: Argumentation Essay Results of Peer Review

Student Score Peer

Review

Student Score Peer

Review

1 90 Y 2 0 N

5 80 Y 3

Withdrew

n/a

6 90 Y 4

Withdrew

n/a

7 70 Y 8 0 N

12 90 Y 9 0 N

14 100 Y 10Withdrew

n/a

15 90 Y 11 0 N

17 90 Y 13 0 N

16 0 N

Average

Score

87.5 Average

Score

0


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Data Interpretation

The English Department determined that by the end of the course, students would meetthe following departmental objectives:

a. use appropriate stylistic options for a specific subject, audience, and purpose.b. organize ideas effectively by selecting and limiting a topic.

c. develop and supporting a thesis with relevant material.

d. employ a logical plan of development.e. write essays that are substantially free of errors (grammar, usage, and mechanics).

Furthermore, the instructor created objectives and assessment measurements (Table 7)

designed to help each student better meet the department objectives.

Table 7: Outcome, Objectives, and Assessments

Outcome Objective Measure(s) Assessment

MeasurementsComposing a variety of essays

by developing content,

employing specific

organizational patterns, andselecting language appropriate

for a particular audience and

purpose.

Students will be able to apply graphic

organizers based on an organizational

pattern (descriptive, compare and

contrast, cause and effect, andargumentative) to capture and organize

ideas for their essays and to develop

working theses to further organizegenerated ideas.

Students will be able to relate notes

written on graphic organizers toidentify sources of relevant information

for specific audiences and purposes.

Students will be able to plan rough

drafts using a specific graphic

organizer.

Graphic Organizers
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Students will be able to provide peer

review feedback using Google Docs.

Students will be able to evaluate peer

review and use feedback to edit andrevise their rough drafts.

Peer Review

Students will be able to apply a rubric

to help them write and publish essays

for specific audiences with intended

purpose that develop a thesis withrelevant material and that follow a

logical pattern of development.

Rubric

Students will be able to use self-reflections to recall, explain, and

defend their writing experiences.

(The self-reflections will be discussedwith the instructor using Skype.)

Self-Reflection

Student Performances

In Table 8, on page 55, the instructor illustrated how each student scored on the fouressays and if the student met the departmental objectives. Students who met the departmental

objectives, earned at least a score of 70. After careful review of the data, approximately 47% of

the students met the departmental goals. The data will be considered when preparing for Fall

2011.

Table 8: Student Performances

Student Desc.

Essay

C & C

Essay

C& E

Essay

Arg.

Essay

Average Met

Objectives

1 86 73 63 90 78 Y

2 84 73 63 0 55 N

3 93 0 n/a n/a n/a N

4 0 0 n/a n/a n/a N
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5 86 81 75 80 80.5 Y

6 93 73 100 90 89 Y

7 90 70 63 70 73.25 Y

8 89 87 81 0 64.25 N

9 85 75 63 0 55.75 N

10 71 0 n/a n/a n/a N

11 90 90 81 0 65.25 N

12 64 65 80 90 74.75 Y

13 80 83 92 0 63.75 N

14 91 81 85 100 89.25 Y

15 93 90 75 90 87 Y

16 70 0 80 0 37.5 N

17 100 100 100 90 97.5 Y

Desc. = Descriptive, C & C = Compare and Contrast, C & E = Cause and Effect, and Arg. = Argumentation

Recommendations: Part 1

After reviewing Table 7(Outcome, Objectives, and Assessments) on pages 53 and 54 and

the current timeline (Table 9), it was determined that students may have performed better had

peer review been a mandatory requirement.

Table 9: Current (Spring 2011) Timeline

Dates Foci

February 03 February 05 Collaborating and Peer Editing with GoogleDocs

February 10 February 19 Recalling a Person, Place, or Thing

February 24 March 05 Comparing and Contrasting

March 10 March 19 Explaining Causes and Effects

March 24 April 02 Taking a Stand

The proposed timeline for Fall 2011 (Table 10) located on page 57 incorporates the useof peer review with the teaching of each essay. Students will receive two sessions on how to

provide peer review using Google Docs or some other online word processing application.


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Throughout the semester, the instructor will apprise students of their writing progress and any

needed adjustments (Writing Center or tutoring).

Table 10: Proposed 2011 Timeline

Weeks Foci

1 Pre-Assessment (Writing Skills)

2 Peer Review with Google Docs

3 Peer Review with Google Docs

4 Library Orientation

5 Definition Essay and Peer Review with Google Docs

6 Definition Essay

7 Compare and Contrast Essay and Peer Review with Google Docs

8 Compare and Contrast Essay

9 Cause and Effect Essay and Peer Review with Google Docs

10 Cause and Effect Essay

11 Argumentation Essay and Peer Review with Google Docs

12 Argumentation Essay

13 Post-Assessment (Writing Skills)

14 Final Exam

15 Course Grade

Recommendations: Part 2

The English Department addresses the issue of improving student writing on a yearly

basis. In many meetings, instructors voice frustrations about poor quality writing and plagiarism.

There are suggestions for conducting peer review workshops located on the EnglishDepartments Resource page; however, each instructor has the option to use peer review

workshops. Convincing the Chair of the English Department and the English 101 Coordinator to

consider this innovation can be accomplished by using the problem-solving process.


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Problem-Solving Process

a. Identify the Problem Some students did not use the writing assistance services provided

by the Writing Center when writing papers for English classes. As a result of not doing

so, students submitted poorly written assignments. Students who did not seek help fromthe Writing Center or instructors were highly likely to withdraw from classes or receive

an F.

b. Analyze the Problem Through discussion it was discovered that many students did not

seek the services offered by the Writing Center because physical and geographical

constraints prevented them from visiting the Center.

c. Generate Potential Solutions After analyzing the problem, the development of possible

solutions was required. The following were two technology-based solutions:

Skype, a free Web-based method of communication, afforded students fourbenefits a) alleviated physical and geographical constraints; b) offered virtual

office hours; c) provided an avenue for oral peer review; and d) allowed for

greater dissemination of information when compared to regular email.

Google Docs, another free Web-based technology, provided the platform for

students to help each other with peer review at any hour of the day and from any

location. Students who opted to use With Google Docs could work on any

document at the same time.

d. Select and Plan the Solution After discussion, the students and instructor decided on the

following plan:

Students who needed help with class assignments after regular class hours had

access to the instructor via Skype.

Students used Google Docs or some form of peer review to improve their qualityof writing.

e. Implement the Solution The incorporation of technology designed to help studentswrite better essays was started February 03, 2011 and ended April 02, 2011.

f. Evaluate the Solution The implementation of peer review worked well as evidenced by

students 5, 6, 14, 15, and 17 in Table 8. They all engaged in the peer review process, andeach student scored 80% or higher. Those five students exceeded the 70% standard that

was considered passing. Of all the students in the class, only student 5 actively used

Skype to communicate with the instructor. On the other hand, 12 students did notadequately or effectively use either solution; therefore, the solutions did not benefit them.

If the English Department wants to improve the writing quality of its students, the

department should consider:


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Teaching students to properly provide peer review feedback. Offering and using

online collaborative word processing applications. Having students complete thepeer review process during class since many may not do so once leaving class.

Raising the pass percentage from 70% to 80% since many students are unable to

transfer to universities or enter certain programs with a grade less than a B.

Just as students are expected to become writing, the English Department must lead the

way in establishing a professional development program that will train all instructors at thecollege how to teach their students the basis for writing-to-learn and writing across the

curriculum. Writing across the curriculum operates under the premise that students learn when

they write (Hampson, 2009). After all, Community College is a student-centered college thatprepares individuals to meet the challenges associated with a diverse, global society.

Conclusions

Writing assignments can and do serve as evaluations that can predict student success in

post-secondary environments (Tobin, 2010).Based on the success of thefive students, whoscored 80% or higher, they responded favorably to the peer review process. Actively engaging in

the peer review process benefitted the students and the instructor. The students actively

collaborated to provide and to receive critical feedback on their essays before final submission.

Student reflections include:

My suggestion for improvement is to keep writing and not hold back any information.Student 5

Overall, I was not too bad but I have plenty of room to grow. I will do moreproofreading in the future. I will use you less and stick with one point of view. I will

pay closer attention to detail. Student 6

After reading another essay, I felt pretty confident in my writing ability. I need to focus

more on my conclusion. I feel that once I finish my intro and body, when I get to the

conclusion, I run out of steam and stumble on what I want to say. Student 14

I must learn to stay focused and not shift from one point of view or another. That is

definitely my weakness. Student 15

I think one of my strengths is a pretty good vocabulary and can describe things so the

reader can visualize. I think I can better organize things, my thoughts. Student 17

Moreover, the instructor did not spend time collecting essays and writing comments. Asfor the students who did not score 80% or higher, they chose to forgo any peer review

workshops. In conclusion, the English Department promotes an environment filled with writing

that celebrates communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Furthermore, at

the end of the semester the department wants each student, to be able to

use appropriate stylistic options for a specific subject, audience, and purpose.


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organize ideas effectively by selecting and limiting a topic.

develop and supporting a thesis with relevant material.

employ a logical plan of development.

write essays that are substantially free of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Therefore, it makes sense to have students complete the peer review process using anonline word processing application, which provides the collaborative setting where students

review peers work by pointing out strengths, improvements, and other perspectives.

Reflections

The decision to focus on the importance of writing centers and writing across the

curriculum was made after reading two published research articles The Writing Center as a

Key Actor in Secondary School Preparation and Caldwell Community College and TechnicalInstitute QEP: Writing Across The Curriculum Professional Development Program.

Writing Centers

Too often students leave high school without a solid writing foundation. Some enter

college knowing of their deficit(s) and are placed in developmental reading, writing or other non-credit English classes. However, there are others who do well enough on college placement tests

and are placed directly into an English 101 class. Once some of those students realize that

college writing is quite different from high school composition, they go into sink or swim mode.Those who choose to swim usually seek tutoring from the colleges writing center; whereas,

other students remain clueless as to what to do.

English 101 is a required college course and is considered an indicator as to how well astudent will perform in college. And, if students desire to be successful in English classes, they

may wish to consider the services offered at the college writing center. College writing centers

benefit students, who have varying writing abilities and who need assistance with various aspectsof writing. When students work with the writing center tutors, the sessions are supportive and

confidential, and writers build up their writing confidence. In general, writing centers are

nonjudgmental places of help, where grades are not issued.

Writing Across the Curriculum

There is a need to improve student writing on all educational levels. But for some reason,

writing is mostly associated with the English Department. However, students are required towrite in every subject area. How detailed the writing assignments are depends on the individual

instructors. Nevertheless, if Colleges students are being prepared to compete in a diverse, globalsociety, they must be taught to write-to-learn and to write across the curriculum.

Asking students to write-to-learn and to write across the curriculum requires buy-in fromColleges faculty. A well-planned professional development program is key to encouraging

faculty to incorporate into their various courses. More importantly, faculty will come to realize


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that technology is a helpful instructional tool. Tools such as wikis, mp3 and mp4 files, Google

Docs, and Jing can be used to respond to student writing. Nevertheless, when instructors become

comfortable with various web-based tools, collaboration between faculty and variousdepartments will become the norm and there will be considerable growth in student writing.


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References

Cathey, C. (2007). Power of peer review: An online collaborative learning assignment in social

psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 34(2), 97-99. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hampson, M. P. (2009). Caldwell community college and technical institute QEP: Writing

across the curriculum professional development program. Community College Journal of

Research & Practice, 33(8), 618-621. doi:10.1080/10668920902928952

Tobin, T. (2010). The writing center as a key actor in secondary school preparation. Clearing

House, 83(6), 230-234. doi:10.1080/00098651003774810

Van Horn, M. C. (2010). Module 8: Teaching with peer review. Teaching with hacker

handbooks: Topics, strategies, and lesson plans (p. 101). Boston, MA: Bedford/St.

Martins.

phase 5 - evaluate and revise integration strategies

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