Can a Computer Grade Your Essays?

This article (link below) from today's NYT describes a new edX plan to offer essay-grading software on the web for free.  The software is a logical complement to edX's goal of providing free courses online, as it will allow those courses to use essays as evaluation tools.  Moreover, the software should provide students with quicker feedback on their written work.

Of course, critics are concerned about the software's ability to evaluate writing with a formula:
“Let’s face the realities of automatic essay scoring,” the group’s statement reads in part.   “Computers cannot ‘read.’ They cannot measure the essentials of effective written communication: accuracy, reasoning, adequacy of evidence, good sense, ethical stance, convincing argument, meaningful organization, clarity, and veracity, among others.”

An interesting read, and the free software, once available, could be an interesting complement to what we already do in assessing student writing and providing feedback.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/science/new-test-for-computers-grading-essays-at-college-level.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp

Furthermore, I know others (Hans and Stacey, for starters) have used edX or Coursera for online coursework, and I look forward to giving it a try sometime in the near future.