Saturday, October 19, 2013

SUU Language Corpus-- Thanks for participating!

Thank you for accessing this blog and participating in the reference corpus. Below is some information about the project and why your participation is valuable.

What is the reference corpus? 
This corpus consists of a survey and 20 writing prompts (divided into 2 sections). As students respond to the writing prompts, this information is put into a data base. Researchers can then search specific keywords or grammar points and see where students are doing well and where they need help. Basically, the corpus just helps us to be better teachers.

Why should I participate? 
The more students that enter responses, the more data we get,  and the better our research is. The better our research is, the more effective we become as teachers.

Is the information confidential? 
All demographic data-- age, gender, nationality, etc.-- will be used for research; however, the data will be scrubbed of all personal information-- name, e-mail address, and student number. The only reason any personal information is gathered is to group student responses.

What do I need to do? 
Complete one or both sections. Here's the breakdown of both sections:
  • Student Survey. This survey asks for some personal and demographic information. This information will help us organize student responses and conduct research. Once all student responses are organized, all personal information will be erased. 
  • Section One. This consists of a survey and of 10 small writing prompts. Complete the survey and write a response to each of the 10 writing prompts. Responses to the writing prompts should be at least 100 words in length and spell-checked. While I do not expect formal academic responses, please take your time and consider your word choice and grammar usage. Basically, do your best. (Estimated time to complete: 1- 1 and 1/2 hours)
  • Section Two. This consists of a survey and 10 small writing prompts., there is no survey, only 10 writing prompts. Once again, responses to the writing prompts should be at least 100 words in length and spell-checked. While I do not expect formal academic responses, please take your time and consider your word choice and grammar usage. Basically, do your best. (Estimated time to complete: 1 hour)
Further Questions? 
Feel free to e-mail me

Ready to Start?
Click on one of the links below: