Automated, Personalized Formative Feedback for Student Writing with the LightSide Revision Assistant

The project team is developing a prototype of the LightSide Revision Assistant, a web-based writing program for students in grades 6 to 8. The product will include an interface where students write essays and receive instant and automatic feedback, including in-line comments. Feedback will support students using an iterative revision and reflection process when writing, in contrast with existing tools, which only emphasize grammar checking and surface-level edits. The project team will investigate the feasibility of using the automated essay scoring system. In the Phase I pilot research, the team will examine whether the prototype function as planned, if teachers are able to integrate it within the classroom environment, and whether students are engaged.