The write experience in economics: A case study from Central Connecticut State University

The ability to write efficiently and effectively is an essential component of a career in economics.  It is also a skill that few programs directly address, especially at the Principles or Introductory level. There are several reasons for this including: time and resource constraints—grading written work is often viewed as time consuming and laborious (although this need not always be true) and Principles sections are often large. Writing instruction is often thought of as “the responsibility of colleagues from other departments”, and it is believed that students should already know how to write. While some of the above are (at least) partially true, they do not, in and of themselves, present a compelling case to omit written work from introductory courses. This is especially true, given the advances in technology that are becoming more and more integrated into courses regardless of whether they are taught traditionally, flipped, on-line, or hybrid.

One of the more popular writing packages, The Write Experience, has been employed for several semesters in a large (i.e., 200 student) section of Principles of Macroeconomics. The technology is integrated with the Cengage learning-technology package, which students are required to purchase at the beginning of the semester. The software is able to grade the students writing both in terms of content and composition—moreover, the software provides feedback to the student who is then able to re-work the problem aware of the shortcomings of their previous attempt. Through observational experience with the program and based on feedback received on Students' Evaluation of Teaching surveys the students responded well to the software and enjoyed the opportunity to prove their mastery of the material through several channels, as opposed to the multiple-choice only work offered in many other courses.

While the students responded well to the software package itself and many had scores that improved throughout the semester, its use allowed us to identify how a student’s background influenced the quality of their writing. Empirical analysis carefully considered the possibility that a student’s gender, level of preparedness (as measured by their SAT score), and choice of major are systematically related to the quality of their writing.  In turn this may assist with recruitment and retention efforts and may help identify where more extensive attention to written communication could yield the highest return.