News

South Carolina State Tries Online Tool To Improve Student Writing

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 01/07/10

South Carolina State University will be trying out a Web-based service in an effort to improve student writing. The Orangeburg-based institution, which has about 5,000 students, has signed with Waypoint Outcomes, a company that develops customized Web-based academic assessment and analysis programs.

The first use will take place in the College of Business and Applied Professional Sciences, where 10 courses in the college will begin working with Waypoint during the spring semester.

"By clearly defining the strength and weaknesses of students' writing, this program will benefit them in all subject areas, not only business, and assist them in becoming overall better communicators," said Barbara Adams, the university's chair of Accounting, Agribusiness and Economics.

"Waypoint is a major component of a comprehensive plan the university is implementing to support students academically," Adams said. "This plan shows the [Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business] and others that we have processes in place to provide more feedback to students and ensure their academic achievement," she said.

Along with attempting to improve student communication and the quality of written assignments, Waypoint collects student performance data, which can be used to perform academic analysis and accreditation assessments.