A demo of free essay scoring software
Levels: 6-12 PS 117
Roy B. Clariana – Penn State U.
RClariana@psu.edu
http://www.personal.psu.edu/rbc4
Casper College January 14th, 2006
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Presentation Goals
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This presentation will demonstrate how to
download and use a software tool called ALAReader to score students’ biology essays
To recruit action researchers from this
audience
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Personal Profile
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High school math and science teacher in the US and
Kenya (4 years)
Energy and environment education curriculum
developer
Elementary school technology coordinator (5 years)
Technology education consultant for 50 schools in
Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah (3 years)
Director of a technology integration project in the
United Kingdom (1 year)
Software development project lead – software, tools,
web-based tools (1 year)
Penn State – Associate Professor (9th year)
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Presentation flow
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Quick ALA-Reader demo – to see it work
Brief look at its genesis and how it works
Step-by-step demo – how you set it up and
use it in your classroom Monday morning
Review the data files produced
One more run
Final questions, Show of hands
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Quick ALA-Reader Demo
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Place student essays, terms file, expert
referent essay, and ALA-Reader software into
the same folder (click)
Double click ALA-Reader
Click the Mark L button
Type in the file name of a student’s essay
Observe scores
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Genesis of ALA-Reader
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We are interested in concept maps, and
developed software called ALA-Mapper to
score concept maps
We noticed that teachers associate concept
maps and essays. (i.e., concept maps are a
good organization tool.)
So we developed ALA-Reader to score essays
based on ALA-Mapper
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Concept map validity
oxygenate pulmonary
CO2 lungs vein
artery
ventricle
blood
atrium
left
atrium
pulmonary
vein
lungs
remove oxygenate
CO2
blood
Concept maps are
generally considered to be
valid and reliable
measures of science
content knowledge (RuizPrimo, Schultz, Li,
Shavelson, CREST in
California, Rye and Rubba
(2002), Jonassen, Beissner,
& Yacci, 1993. . .).
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What raw data can a computer
“extract” from a Concept map?
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Term counts – in open-ended maps, were
all of the required terms included
Propositions – a line (link, edge)
connecting two terms
Link labels – the labels on the line
Associations – geometric distance between
pairs of terms. Small values indicate
stronger relationship.
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.. map w/ proposition array
(n2-n)/2 pair-wise comparisons
left atrium
right ventricle
pulmonary vein
left atrium
lungs
oxygenate
pulmonary artery
pulmonary vein
deoxygenate
right ventricle
pulmonary artery
lungs
deoxygenate
LA
0
0
0
1
0
0
L
1
1
1
1
0
OX PA PV DOX RV
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
-
oxygenate
Semantic Map
Proposition Array
Most studies use only link (edge)
information, usually called “propositions”.
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.. map w/ association array
.
left atrium
right ventricle
.
pulmonary
vein
.
pulmonary artery
.
S-Mapper
lungs
left atrium
lungs
oxygenate
pulmonary artery
pulmonary vein
deoxygenate
right ventricle
LA
120
150
108
72
156
66
L
36
84
102
42
102
OX PA PV DOX RV
120 114 138 54 86 144 138 42 114 120
-
.
deoxygenate
.
oxygenate
.
Concept Map
Association Array
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Convert raw map data into scores
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Currently, we use a data reduction and
comparison approach called Pathfinder
network representation (UNM, Schanveldt,
1990).
PFNets describe the least weighted path to
connect the terms in the data proximity array
Scores are established by comparing the
participant’s PFNet to a referent (expert)
PFNet, and calculating the number of
common links (the intersection)
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We use the same approach for
ALA-Reader
Text
PFNet
… an electrical signal starts the
heartbeat, by causing the
atrium to contract. The blood
then flows through the
pulmonary valve into the
pulmonary artery and then into
the lungs. Once inside the
lungs, the blood gives up the
carbon dioxide (cleansed) and
receives oxygen. This
oxygenated blood …
atrium
Proposition array
contract
P valve
P artery
lungs
cleansed
oxygenated
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Our papers on concept maps and essays
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Add cmc conference paper
Koul, R., Clariana, R. B., & Salehi, R. (2005). Comparing several human
and computer-based methods for scoring concept maps and essays.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, 32 (3), 261-273. link
Taricani, E. M. & Clariana, R. B. (2006). A technique for automatically
scoring open-ended concept maps. Educational Technology Research
and Development, 54, 61-78.
Clariana, R.B., Koul, R., & Salehi, R. (2006). The criterion-related
validity of a computer-based approach for scoring concept maps.
International Journal of Instructional Media, 33 (3), in press.
Poindexter, M. T., & Clariana, R.B. (2006). The influence of relational
and proposition-specific processing on structural knowledge and
traditional learning outcomes. International Journal of Instructional
Media, 33 (2), in press.
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Step-by-step
1.
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5.
6.
Create the writing prompt
Students write essays, when done, they save it
in a specific format
Teacher creates key terms with synonyms and
saves as terms.txt
Teacher creates one or two expert referent
essays
Put all into the same folder and run ALA-Reader
Collect scores from the report file
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Step 2. Student essay file format
The Dance of Life
Student 5
30 max
The heart is the major component of the circulatory system.
Its function is to circulate blood, which is comprised of both blood cells and plasma, throughout the body.
Two types of blood vessels are used to circulate blood.
Arteries are used to carry oxygen rich blood throughout the body, while veins are used to carry oxygen deficient
blood to the heart.
The heart is one of the most complex organs in the body.
One of its primary jobs is to oxygenate blood for the body.
Here is how it works.
As stated earlier, veins carry oxygen deficient blood to the heart.
The blood flows into the right atrium, then the right ventricle, and then the pulmonary artery pumps blood to
the lungs for oxygen.
Once the blood is oxygenated, pulmonary veins carry blood back to the heart, where it flows from the left
atrium to the left ventricle.
The aorta pumps oxygen rich blood throughout the body, then the veins carry oxygen deficient blood back to
the heart, where the cycle begins again.
Quite literally, the heart is “the heart” of the circulatory system.
It is amazing to think that such a seemingly simple organ is so complex.
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Step 3. create terms.txt file
30 max
aorta aorta
aortic_valve aortic_v
body body
cleanse clean carbon
contract contrac
diastolic diastol
endocardium endocar
epicardium epicar
inferior_vena_cava inferior
left_atrium left_atri
left_ventricle left_vent
lungs lung
membranes membran
mitral_valve mitral bicusp atrioventricular
myocardium myocard
oxygen oxygen
pericardium pericard
pulmonary_artery pulmonary_art
pulmonary_valve pulmonary_val
pulmonary_veins pulmonary_vei
relax relax
right_atrium right_atri
right_ventricle right_vent
superior_vena_cava superior
systolic systol
tricuspid tricusp
full
• 30 terms maximum
• Space to separate synonyms
• _ to show spaces
pattern
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Step 4. create expert1.txt file
Heart Essay
Expert 1
30 max
Blood flows from the extremities towards the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava.
Blood enters the right atrium from the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava.
Flow passes from the right atrium through the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle.
From the right ventricle, blood flows oneway through the pulmonary valve onto the pulmonary artery.
The blood flows through the pulmonary artery to the lungs where it is cleansed and oxygenated.
Blood flows from the lungs back to the heart through the pulmonary veins.
Blood then enters the left atrium from the pulmonary vein.
Flow passes from the left atrium through the mitral valve into the left ventricle.
Blood then flows out of the heart through the aortic valve into the aorta.
The blood in the aorta flows to all parts of the body.
contract and systolic
diastolic and relax
membranes
endocardium and myocardium
epicardium and pericardium
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Step 5. Run ALA-Reader
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Place student essays, terms file, expert
referent essay, and ALA-Reader software into
the same folder (click)
Double click ALA-Reader
Click the Mark L button
Type in the file name of a student’s essay
Observe scores
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Step 6. Use scores
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See report.txt or L_report.txt
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ALA-Reader future
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Current beta version forms proposition array
based on sentence-level and also linear
associations
Add other ways to parse the text, e.g., pure
linear, reverse linear, double-chunk, etc.
Add a graphing utility to the tool
Download from my web site at
www.personal.psu.edu/rbc4
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Questions
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Questions
Show of hands…
One-on-one after the session, also email me
with any questions, etc.
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