Students today are often assumed to be digitally literate and prepared for college, but that is not always the case. Introductory technology courses at the college level provide students with the technology and digital skills necessary for them to succeed in college. This study, conducted at a small New England "business school" that…

This intervention study aimed to test the effect of writing process feedback. Sixty-five Grade 10 students received a personal report based on keystroke logging data, including information on several writing process aspects. Participants compared their writing process to exemplar processes of equally scoring (position-setting condition) or…

Word processing is a fundamental skill for efficient computer literacy. E-learning has been introduced to ensure wide dissemination of such fundamental content and skills, even beyond school. However, best methodologies need to be identified for efficient instructional delivery. This study therefore investigated the effects of synchronous and…

This study compared the effects of computer-mediated (CM) versus pen-and-paper (P&P) writing on written accuracy and feedback processing in tasks written and rewritten collaboratively following a pedagogical treatment in two intact authentic classrooms. The study involved 32 secondary education low-proficiency English-as-a-foreign-language…

Writing involves a number of skills and being self-directed in the process would contribute to greater effectivity. The concept of autonomography, or being self-directed in terms of writing, draws from the literature on self-directed learning and specifically self-directed writing, where concepts such as self-regulation and learner autonomy are…

This study evaluated a bilingual text-mining system, which incorporated a bilingual taxonomy of key words and provided hierarchical visualization, for understanding learner-generated text in the learning management systems through automatic identification and counting of matching key words. A class of 27 in-service teachers studied a course…

Too often our students submit incomplete homework that is disorganized, unclear, and nonlinear. Typesetting with LATEX, although time consuming for those new to the software, strengthens communication by forcing organization and proper notation required by the precise, formal language of mathematics. In this manuscript we report on a study of 42…

The influence of task complexity on second language (L2) writing performance has been researched near-exclusively in relation to the linguistic complexity of the learners' written products, while only limited attention has been paid to the online writing processes. In order to fill this gap, the present study focused on the effects of task demands…

A study is reported of the performance and attainment of 32 students from overseas studying elementary Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) in a Chinese university. With an AB-BA design, they were asked to use two forms of writing media to present two essays: one a word-processed essay entitled "My Favourite Female" and the other a…

Aim/Purpose: In this study, the authors examine how an online word processing tool can be used to encourage participation among students of different language backgrounds, including English Language Learners. To be exact, the paper discusses whether student participation in anonymous collaborative writing via Google Docs can lead to more…

This study examined whether or not fourth-graders could fully demonstrate their writing skills on the computer and factors associated with their performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) computer-based writing assessment. The results suggest that high-performing fourth-graders (those who scored in the upper 20 percent…

This guide provides a detailed evaluation form, together with complete instructions for using it, which is designed to elicit answers to the following questions: (1) What features and abilities does a specific word processing program have? (2) On which computer(s) will the program work? (3) Is additional hardware/software necessary before the…

Designed to give teachers and supervisors a working knowledge of various approaches to enhancing pupil learning through software application programs, this guide is presented in a hands-on fashion. It supports a dual purpose, i.e., it can serve as an individual tutorial or as a turnkey staff development tool. All program files referred to may be…

This report presents the findings from a 2-stage, multi-method study conducted in 2000 and 2001 on the editing skills and processes which students at two schools in New Zealand used when working with word processors and with pencils. The study's main aim was to examine the influence of the use of a word processor on students' editing processes and…

This paper arises out of a research study into the online help facilities provided in popular software applications such as word processors. Its particular focus is on experimental methods of evaluating the effectiveness and usability of those facilities. Focus groups, questionnaires, and online surveys had already been used in other phases of the…