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>Turns out the instructions said the essay would be scored on verbal efficiency; getting the point across clearly with the fewest words. I started playing aroun
by _0ffh 7y ago
>Turns out the instructions said the essay would be scored on verbal efficiency; getting the point across clearly with the fewest words. I started playing around and realized that the more words I added, the higher the score
Apart from the fact that your story is straight up frightening, isn't this part completely backwards, too? I mean, clearly using more words to convey the same message is /less/ efficient, not more so?
- dahart 7y agoYes. Exactly. Before I figured out how to game the program, my son and wife were editing shorter. That’s what the instructions said to do. And, that’s also a major strategy for decent writing: brainstorm a lot, then edit down to the good parts. What this means is the software’s scoring is an anti-incentive to good writing. Used as a teaching aid, it’s actually doing pure damage, not good. Not only can it not score reliably, nor provide meaningful feedback, it’s actually actively teaching a very wrong way to write. But it is cheaper than humans, and it does give immediate feedback, so there’s that.