Table of Contents
Directions
Your professor is teaching a class on Economic. Write a post responding to the professor’s question. In your response, you should:
- express and support your personal opinion
make a contribution to the discussion in your own words - An effective response will contain at least 100 words. You have ten minutes to write.
Class Discussion
Professor:
“Today, we will discuss how automation is transforming the economy and jobs. Automation uses machines and software to perform tasks without much human help. Assuming that automation can increase efficiency and lower costs, it also may change the structure of the job market. This change raises concerns about how the middle class will be affected. Now, considering both benefits and risks, is automation ultimately a creator of better jobs or a destroyer of the middle class?”
I believe automation creates better jobs because it removes workers from dangerous, repetitive work and allows them to focus on more creative and technical tasks. For example, in factories, machines handle the harmful heavy lifting, while workers manage and improve these machines. This shift raises the quality of jobs available to workers and helps the economy grow.
I think automation can hurt the middle class because it may replace many traditional jobs that require moderate skills. When machines do these jobs, many middle-class workers might lose employment or only find lower-paying jobs. This could increase inequality and make it harder for middle-class families to maintain their living standards.
Sample Answers & Evaluation
🏆 Perfect Score – The Sniper Approach (30/30)
While Emily argues that automation mainly harms the middle class, she fails to consider the fundamental mechanism of job evolution through technological progress. Automation does not simply replace jobs; it facilitates a paradigm shift where obsolete roles give way to new, more complex ones requiring higher skills. For instance, the rise of industrial robots in automotive manufacturing initially displaced manual workers. Yet, it simultaneously created demand for specialized robot technicians and software engineers, a transition widely observed in countries like Germany’s advanced manufacturing sectors. This example reveals why automation ultimately creates better jobs: it pushes the labor market towards greater autonomy, innovation, and productivity, crucial factors for long-term economic growth. Ignoring this deeper process oversimplifies the debate and misses the significant benefits automation delivers to the middle class by fostering skills development and better employment possibilities.
Teacher’s Feedback
Score: 30/30
Logic: This student used a specific real-world example of Germany’s automotive industry to show how automation changes jobs but creates more skilled roles. This precise evidence makes the argument very strong. The student also pointed out a key flaw in the opposing view, which improves the logical depth of their response.
Golden Vocabulary: paradigm shift, autonomy, facilitates
🏆 High Score – The Standard Approach (25/30)
I believe automation creates better jobs because it helps people move from boring, repetitive tasks to more interesting and skilled work. For example, if factories use machines to do the hard work, workers can learn to operate and fix those machines. This change can give workers better job opportunities and help the economy. However, some people worry that automation might take away many jobs that middle-class people do. But overall, I think the benefits are greater because new jobs often require better skills and pay more than old jobs.
Teacher’s Feedback
Score: 25/30
Logic: The argument is clear and well organized, using a general example of factory work. However, it lacks a specific real-world example and deeper critical thinking, which is why it scores lower than the 30-point answer.
Golden Vocabulary: repetitive, opportunities