DOI: 10.18848/2327-0144/cgp/a231 ISSN: 2327-2686

The COM Essay Assessor

Juhi Bansal
Show PDF Cite
Providing timely and actionable feedback on student writing is a known challenge in large English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, where instructor workload often limits the depth and consistency of feedback. This article presents the development and calibration of the COM Essay Assessor, a rubric-based generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool designed to support formative feedback while retaining instructor oversight. Grounded in social constructivist theory and formative assessment research, the tool was calibrated using archival student essays and faculty feedback to reflect course-specific evaluation practices. Rather than functioning as an autonomous evaluator, the tool operates within a human-in-the-loop workflow in which instructors review and authorize AI-generated feedback before it reaches students. The article situates this approach within broader work on automated writing evaluation and AI-supported learning and reflects on the opportunities and challenges of integrating GenAI into large writing programs. It argues that rubric-aligned, human-mediated systems can help sustain feedback processes in resource-constrained contexts while preserving pedagogical intent and instructor judgment.

More from our Archive