Typing essays is becoming increasingly important for students as technology continues to transform how we write, communicate, and learn. There are numerous benefits for students who learn to type their written assignments on a computer keyboard rather than writing them by hand. Not only does typing make the writing process faster and more efficient, it also improves composition skills and prepares students for future academic and career success that relies on digital communication.
One of the most obvious benefits of typing essays is increased speed and efficiency compared to handwriting. Students who can touch type at a reasonable speed can write and revise their papers much quicker than those who handwrite or hunt-and-peck with two fingers. This allows students to spend more time focusing on improving the quality of their writing through additional drafting, revising, research, and proofreading instead of spending excessive time writing by hand. Professional typists can achieve speeds over 100 words per minute on average, but students only need to achieve 30-40 wpm for a significant improvement over handwriting. Faster typing leads to better time management when writing assignments are due which reduces stress.
In addition to speed advantages, typing makes the editing and revising process much less cumbersome than rewriting entire pages by hand. Students can easily cut, copy, paste, and rearrange sentences, paragraphs, and entire sections digitally with a few clicks of a mouse or touch of a trackpad. Doing the same types of revisions through physical rewriting is painstaking and increases the chances of mistakes. The ability to easily move content around on the screen helps students better organize their ideas and writing. Digital revision also allows students to keep multiple versions or drafts of the same paper without cluttering up physical space with papers.
Touch typing also benefits writing mechanics and composition skills which are important for students. The physical act of typing requires students to think about spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure in new ways. Not having to concentrate on physically forming letters allows for increased focus on ideas, organization, flow, and written expression. Touch typists are less likely to make common errors like spelling mistakes since their fingers are trained to hit the correct keys without having to look down. Typing also facilitates cleaner, neater final papers without cross-outs and rewrites that can be difficult for graders to decipher when handwritten. Strong typing abilities free up mental energy previously spent on handwriting struggles.
From a career perspective, being able to quickly and proficiently type using computers is now an essential workforce skill that many employers expect. In today’s digital world fueled by email, reports, presentations, resumes, and other online workplace communication, the ability to keyboard has never been more important. Students who learn to touch type gain a competitive advantage in internships, jobs, and higher education over those who cannot. Typing speed and skills can make a difference in areas like note-taking during meetings and interviews, written responses to bosses and colleagues, project collaboration through documents and online teamwork, and creating polished professional correspondence and CVs. Developing strong typing habits early gives students a practical lifelong skill.
Another benefit of typing essays for education is improved accessibility. Students with physical disabilities, injuries, or visual impairments that make handwriting difficult may be able to type instead for writing assignments. Software like spellcheck, predictive text, speech recognition, and screen readers have helped provide more learning opportunities for students with special needs. Typing on a computer is also more accessible than handwriting for transferring assignments electronically between home and school. This is beneficial for distance learning and situations like working remotely during potential future school shutdowns from health crises. Relying less on physical handwriting breaks down barriers to education.
While some students may still prefer handwriting notes for certain class subjects, typing has clearly become the preferable method for formal written assignments at the high school and college level. Most teachers now expect essays and reports in a typed digital format rather than handwritten. This ensures papers are neat, organized, and easy for educators to read, grade, and provide feedback on without issues like deciphering difficult handwriting. Consistently providing typed assignments signals to instructors that time and effort has gone into the work. It produces an overall better impression versus messy handwritten papers in most educational contexts today.
Touch typing proficiency requires ongoing practice to develop, but the long term educational and career payoffs for students make it worthwhile to learn. Students can utilize free online typing tutorials and gamified lessons to speed up their skills over time. Those needing remedial help breaking old handwriting habits may benefit from formal keyboarding or intro to computers courses still offered in some K-12 schools. Though it takes commitment, regular short practice sessions of just 10-15 minutes per day can measurably boost anyone’s typing speed within a few months. For all the reasons outlined, learning to properly type using all ten fingers will serve today’s students well in their further studies and beyond. Strong typing is a practical twenty-first century literacy competency.
Typing essays and school assignments provides students multiple tangible benefits compared to handwriting. It increases efficiency, allows for easy editing and revisions, improves writing mechanics and composition skills, prepares them for future digital career demands, and enhances academic accessibility. While some students may still prefer to handwrite notes or drafts, typing is clearly the superior choice for formal polished final papers expected at higher education levels. Learning good touch typing habits through regular practice will serve students well both educationally and professionally into the future. In our increasingly digital world, being able to quickly and accurately keyboard has become an essential life and workplace skill for both education and career success.
Andrew Stroud