Software Review: MyCompLab

Several years ago, I checked into MyCompLab. An access code came packaged with new copies of whatever handbook I assigned, and the question on the first day of class was always: Are we going to need this? As a new teacher, my first answer was “no”. I was already overwhelmed. There simply wasn’t time to think about testing out software.

About a year later (about 2006), I tried it out. My analysis: not worth it. Not worth the bother of making sure students had acquired an access code, and not worth both them and me learning the software.

Five years later, my analysis has changed: worth it, with room to grow.

First the merits of the program. MyCompLab enables you to:

1.       Set up drop boxes for all assignments. Most learning management systems can do this already though, so read on…

2.       Set up dropboxes for writing assignments that require multiple drafts. Because we focus on the writing process, this is a beautiful feature. Students cannot submit a final draft without submitting prior drafts.

3.       Dropboxes record the date and time of submission. Most learning management systems do this, but you have to click back and forth for the information you need. This one has it so that when you grade, the due date and date of submission are right there. (Not to mention the assignment instructions, so if there is any question as you grade, you can refer back to your original instructions.)

4.       Composition-instructor friendly grading. MyCompLab has a number of standard responses to student writing already programmed in, so you can easily insert comments about sentence fragments, run-ons, etc. (and you can add your own) and MyCompLab links those to resources the student can use to improve their writing. So, for example, if I noted a sentence fragment, MyCompLab links a sentence fragment resource to their draft for them to review before they rewrite.

5.       No need to download student papers to grade. Unless you opt to have students attach assignment files, they will have to cut and paste them into the assignment pane. The advantage: you don’t have to download anything to your computer. (After downloading files for years, I find this a great advantage!)

6.       Return for Rewrite option. I love this. If a student doesn’t complete the assignment correctly, then rather than returning it with a poor grade, you can simply return it with a request to rewrite it. No grade will be posted for the assignment until the student submits it again.

7.       Online tutorials, assessment, and activities. Beyond writing assignments, MyCompLab has a number of exercises on writing process, intros and conclusions, transitions, grammar, and punctuation that I've found very useful. Some of these are in a format that needs to be graded by me (write two introductions using two of the suggestions for good intros, for example) and others are in a quiz form of assessment, which are auto-graded. (Students have an unlimited number of times to re-take these, so I have found that this works well even with developmental writers.)

MyCompLab also has a calendar that shows each assignment and deadline, and a grade book so you don’t have to send students elsewhere to find them. (Not the best I’ve worked with, but they the job done.)

Here’s what the program doesn’t do, where there’s still room to grow:

1.       You can’t create and use online grading rubrics.

2.       You can’t attach files to students when you grade.

3.       The announcements section is not very visible to students. (It could easily be overlooked, so you don’t want to post anything really important.)

4.       Perhaps worst of all for writing instructors: there isn't a spell check in most of their features!

The program certainly has room to grow. But I’ve seen such improvement in the past several years and had such a wonderful response to it so far, that I will continue to use it in my courses –after I email MyCompLab my list of much-needed updates!