I do not think this issue is a simple one. Turn It In has been widely used for years now, and, aside from shady copyright issues, it can be a useful tool for instructors with a lot to grade. However, it needs to be used responsibly. A teacher cannot run it through Turn It In and give it a pass. They still need to doublecheck that the computer gave it an accurate reading (because sometimes it will find plagiarism where there is none), but it can also cut back the time spent googling passages from suspicious papers. It also does not replace the teacher’s role in providing feedback on global writing issues.
In the particular case outlined in the link, I completely disagree with the usage of the program. They are specifically discussing using a computer to score standardized essays for exams such as the SAT/ACT. I think this is a terrible direction to head in. Those tests are already ridiculous. I am, admittedly, not a fan of standardized testing by any stretch of the imagination and particularly loathe in-class writing assignments. Using an online interface to score could put a significant number of students at a disadvantage.
How would you program the exam to not focus on grammar? To take content into account? And structure? Organization? How does it weigh one thesis over the other? Would you have to write in a cookie-cutter essay format? Would this reinforce the asinine five-paragraph essay? If it does weigh down on grammar, how will this impact ESL students, particularly International students?
These are problems that already exist outside the program. Using the computer to score just makes those issues more glaringly problematic for me. There is no single standard of writing. There is no one “right” way to compose an essay. Using a computer to reinforce a standard would not tackle the issues with standardized essay writing, but exacerbate them.
It just seems as though this specific program would make an already problematic area (standardized tests) even worse. And that’s completely suspending the necessity of student-teacher interaction for improving writing in a classroom setting.