Observing Writing Processes and Typing Transcription Skills Using Keystroke Logging

Context: As typing has replaced handwriting as the preferred method of text production beyond the early grades, keystroke logging has become one of the major observation tools used in writing process research. It allows for fine-grained data collection without intruding into the writers' activities or influencing the writing dynamics.

Aim: In this presentation, I briefly describe the basics of keystroke logging, and introduce Inputlog to you (see: https://www.inputlog.net for more information). More specifically, I will illustrate some components of this keystroke logging program and show how you can use them in your research and also in your classroom.

Topics:
1. How do you monitor different aspects of typing skills?
Inputlog enables you to observe digital writing processes by capturing all writing activities on a computer (keyboard and mouse). It also contains a so-called copy task. This module consists of a carefully designed collection of short copy typing tasks shedding a light on different perspectives of students' typing and transcription skills. For instance, it provides information on the number of characters typed per minute in lexical and non-lexical tasks. The copy task is currently available in twelve languages.

2. How do you provide your students with process feedback in the classroom? Providing feedback on students' writing process is very important. However, this is often hard to accomplish. Inputlog allows you to generate a user-friendly process report that provides different perspectives on students' writing processes, e.g., their pausing behavior, fluency, or use of external sources. We briefly describe the program's report function.