Student Performance with and Attitudes toward Electronic Distributed Assessment in First-Year Composition Classes

In Fall 2008, UTEP\u27s composition department implemented a pilot program to test a redesign of English 1312, their second-semester freshman composition course. In addition to a redesigned curriculum, a system of electronic distributed assessment was implemented in ten sections of English 1312. Instead of the traditional format of a class where instructors grade all student assignments, a group of teaching assistants graded student writing anonymously using standardized grading rubrics. The system, which has been used at Texas Tech University since 2002, was put in place at UTEP in order to enhance efficiency and consistency in the teaching of this course. Previous research on electronic distributed assessment has focused on instructor and administrator perspectives on the grading system; comparatively little research has been done on student attitudes toward and performance with electronic distributed assessment. To measure this, two electronic surveys about the grading system were administered to students in the redesigned sections of the course. Student dropout rates and final grades in the redesigned sections of the course were compared with data from traditionally taught sections of the course. Finally, data from group interviews was collected to determine student attitudes toward the electronic distributed assessment system used in the Fall 2008 semester