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From: mcnamara@vixvax.mgi.com (Curt McNamara)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Student Writing: Can the Machine Maim the Message?
Message-ID: <1041@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 27 Jul 90 23:07:03 GMT
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Charles Huff writes:

> Let's not rag on the study too much.  The author admits that her
> observations are tentative and non-systematic, and even suggests a
> study with random assignment to follow up.

This would be a good first start.  A secondary concern of mine is that
the MAC writers apparently used graphics in their papers.  It does take
additional time to learn a graphics program, and then to actually use it
to produce something!  It was apparent from the article that these
graphics were not a significant part of the grade ("gilding" was the
term used).  Obviously, if two students spend the same amount of time
creating a report and one uses some of that time to produce graphics,
they will have less time available to produce good prose.  In effect,
the students who did create graphics were penalized for including them,
as an equivalent grade would have required more total work (that for the
written part, plus the additional for the graphics).

So why did the MAC students use graphics while the DOS students didn't?
Either they were both told graphics were OK, but the DOS machines didn't
have a easily usable tools, or the assignments were so unstructured that
the MAC students didn't know the criteria, or ....

The bottom line is that the MAC students created graphics while the DOS
students did not, and this in itself is a large difference between the
groups.  They didn't all do the same assignment!

There are several interesting side issues here.  Should "writing"
courses include some time on graphics or illustration?  Or should all
students be required to take introductory courses in graphing as well as
writing?  Clearly the best written papers and textbooks imclude numerous
illustrations and graphs.  Where is this skill included in the
curriculum?

Personal bias:  I use VAX, DOS, and MAC machines.  I prefer to do
documentation on the MAC because it is much easier to alter my text with
a mouse, the appropriate software is readily available (and has been for
years), and the WYSIWYG feature saves me much time.

Curt McNamara