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USF Writes

It makes writing possiBull!

USF Writes is a digital, instructional tool that enhances writing pedagogy in first year composition (FYC) and professional and technical communication (PTC) by providing a robust formative feedback platform that works in tandem with other tools and technologies.

USF Writes facilitates student learning by:

• Promoting formative feedback
• Enhancing the revision process
• Supporting instructor responsiveness
• Gathering actionable data for program management

USF Writes incorporates an evidence-based approach that supports writing instruction in tandem with formative assessment. Most importantly, USF Writes provides insights both just-in-time and historically for instructors and program administrators.

From a programmatic perspective, USF Writes:

• Facilitates student learning
• Reports data on individual, course, and program performance for real-time teaching and responsive curricular adjustments
• Provides key information about at-risk students for undergraduate studies to assist with retention and student success
• Houses key instructional materials for FYC and PTC courses

Promoting Formative Feedback

USF Writes allows instructors to provide quality formative feedback in less time and track student progress to respond in real time. Instructors also can compare feedback and scoring across sections to improve instructor precision and efficacy. Additionally, instructors and administrators have access to USF Writes data for research projects that improve writing pedagogy.

In the classroom, USF Writes creates a learning community that allows students to connect with other students for peer review, and engage with formative feedback collectively as a class.

Enhancing the Revision Process

One of the goals of USF Writes is to make visible the outcomes and tasks embedded in the process of student learning. The tool enhances the revision process by guiding student attention to the specific outcomes of the assignment, highlighting those outcomes on which students should focus to improve their writing.

Supporting Instructor Responsiveness

USF Writes empowers instructors to respond to the needs of a class with just-in-time reports that examine student work and peer reviews. Further, the creation of the assignment-specific rubrics and the use of collective feedback enables instructors to visualize student needs across a class and across sections, allowing them to assist students in their learning by providing just-in-time teaching to areas of concern. Finally, the tool provides significant time saving for instructors over traditional feedback, whole allowing instructors to engage more with student writing.

Gathering Actionable Data

USF Writes gathers data for internal and external evaluations that supports evidence-based decisions and fulfills external reporting requirements. 

The data gathered in USF Writes:

• Informs curricular development in response to student and instructor need
• Facilitates the construction of syllabi that scaffold across courses
• Enables the creation and tracking of long-term curricular and programmatic goals
• Monitors student progress across a sequence or a curriculum

The data aggregated in USF Writes tracks historical trends, addresses real-time student needs, and enables long-term curricular, pedagogical, and administrative planning. As a tool, USF Writes provides comprehensive support for writing instructor and program administration.

All data is gathered with strict attention to research ethics. Learn more about our research practices, including how we ask students and instructors to opt in to having their data used for research purposes.