The Role of Natural Language Processing in Automated Grading and Assessment

The birth and development of artificial intelligence, aka AI, has brought revolution in many sectors. Whether one thinks of the education sector or work environment, AI gives incredible options to make things easier, faster, and better than ever. One of its branches, Natural Language Processing (NLP), is also bringing revolution in the field of human languages.

Natural language processing is a field of computer science that deals with the interaction between computers and human (natural) languages. This feature allows one to generate, comprehend and even manipulate languages using AI. The possibilities of various applications became probable with Natural Language Processing. Thus in short, NLP is basically a feature that provides support to manipulate, interpret speech. They are highly used in applications like chatbots, language translation systems, etc.

When it comes to the education sector, NLP techniques can be used to automate grading and assessment in a variety of ways, including:

• Automated essay scoring: NLP techniques can be used to score essays and other written work. This can be done by identifying key features of the writing, such as grammar, vocabulary, and style, and then using these features to assign a score. The programs are designed to comprehend the written patterns as per instructed and to score the students’ answers accordingly.
• Automated question answering: NLP techniques can be used to grade questions answered by students. This can be done by identifying the correct answer to the question and then comparing the student’s answer to the correct answer. This particular feature comes in handy, especially for Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
• Automated feedback: NLP techniques can be used to provide feedback to students on their work. This can be done by identifying areas where the student can improve and then providing suggestions for how to improve. This takes place along with the assessments of the answer sheets and marking of the wrong answers along with providing feedback on the right method to answer it.

Thus, natural language processing could play a massive role in the EdTech industry. NLP-based automated grading and assessment systems have a number of advantages. Some of these advantages are:

• Speed: NLP-based systems can grade work much faster than humans. This can free up teachers’ time so that they can focus on other tasks, such as providing feedback to students or helping them understand academics better.
• Accuracy: NLP-based systems can be more accurate than humans, especially when grading large amounts of work. This is because NLP systems are not susceptible to human biases or errors.
• Consistency: NLP-based systems can be more consistent than humans. This is because they are not affected by factors such as fatigue or mood.

Natural language processing would require the assistance of human support in certain factors such as data availability, AI model training, and so on. By providing a well-devised training model, one can train the NLP perfectly as per requirements. Plus, keeping the datasets upgraded according to the ongoing events would be necessary as well. These are a few challenges that universities and other educational institutions would require the assistance of an expert.

According to Mr. Manish Mohta, founder of Learning Spriral

NLP-based automated grading and assessment systems have the potential to revolutionize the way that education is assessed. By automating grading and assessment, these systems can free up teachers’ time, improve accuracy and consistency, and provide more detailed feedback to students. Learning Spiral Pvt. Ltd. would be the best choice in such times. With its advanced team and well reputed case studies, Learning Spiral has proved its ability in modifying and developing advanced solutions for the EdTech industry. Reach out to us to know how we can assist your institution in the best possible way.