Computer or human: a comparative study of automated evaluation scoring and instructors' feedback on Chinese college students' English writing

The role of internet technology in higher education and particularly in teaching English as a Foreign language is increasingly prominent because of the interest in the ways in which technology can be applied to support students. The automated evaluation scoring system is a typical demonstration of the application of network technology in the teaching of English writing. Many writing scoring platforms have been developed and used in China, which can provide online instant and corrective feedback on students' writing. However, the validity of Aim Writing, a product developed by Microsoft Research Asia, which claims to be the best tool to facilitate Chinese EFL learners, has not been tested in previous studies. In this mixed methods study, the feedback and effect of Aim Writing on college students' writing will be investigated and compared to the instructor's feedback. The results indicate that Aim Writing's performance is insufficient to support all students' needs for writing and that colleges should encourage a hybrid model that contains both AES and instructor's feedback in writing.