As is the worldwide trend, scientists in China face strong and increasing pressure to publish their research in international peer-reviewed journals written in English. There is an acute need for graduate students to develop the required language skills alongside their scientific expertise, in spite of the distinct division currently existing…

The literacy problem in the Cleveland area and recommendations for dealing with it are presented in this booklet. Beginning with a definition of literacy and a discussion of the human costs and economic consequences of illiteracy, the booklet advocates reducing adult illiteracy, eliminating basic skills deficits, and improving communications…

Argues that careful structure of a writing program enhances the writing of all the students in the classroom. Suggests that the structure should value the learner as well as the writing process. Notes that program components contain issues such as time allocation, topic selection, importance of the process, the instructor's role, and the need for…

Three premises are basic to Writing Across the Curriculum: (1) when learning involves writing, more learning is achieved; (2) learning to write involves learning to manage and coordinate the component skills of writing within real writing tasks; and (3) through writing, students can learn how to actively touch the content of a class. The role of…

Writing programs and their directors have taken on a new importance because writing has become more necessary to society. However, the status of the writing program in the modern university is usually low and its financial support tenuous. (MLW)

Reviews the importance of assessment in placing students in two-year college composition courses and describes the development of the objective English Qualifying Examination used at Northern Virginia Community College. Includes sample test items. (MKM)

Explains the importance of competence in standard American English in a developmental writing curriculum and reviews several theories of basic writing instruction. (EL)

"Writing across the curriculum," an educational objective of the 70s, has failed to impress itself as a significant reality on Canada's educators, especially in secondary schools. Reasons for this include a lack of understanding of the concept and its scope within institutions and misconceptions about the English department's role. (JMM)

Discusses development of an integrated peer writing assistant program. Student feedback indicates out-of-class peer review is beneficial to them. Writing assistants reported their skills also improved from working with their peers. Offers suggestions for development, coordination, implementation, and integration of a successful peer writing…

The commonalities between the teaching of writing and the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) are discussed. With common instructional practices of iterativeness, contextualization, and cognition delineated between the two fields, four levels of literacy for ESL students are specified. Four levels of ability are distinguished,…

One of a series dealing with current issues affecting language arts instruction, this paper focuses on writing across the curriculum. The paper begins by observing that schools and colleges across the country are developing school-wide writing programs, the purposes of which are to improve writing, to enhance learning of content, and to develop…

This paper offers a model for Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC), for faculty and students at Union County College (UCC). The paper summarizes the history of WAC at UCC, which was introduced at the college in 1978, but did not become institutionalized. It also explores faculty views on the teaching of writing and the role of writing in the…

More effective reading, writing, and communication courseware can be promoted through clearer guidelines in courseware development, stronger incentives for courseware developers, and greater motivation for teachers to seek out and use the courseware. In reading and writing, software guidelines must reflect traditional instructional objectives--or…

The product of a comprehensive project aimed at identifying reading, writing, and communication courseware needs, this report first discusses the benefits of computer assisted instruction and obstacles to its implementation in the communications area. It then describes procedures used to gather information and presents a detailed review of the…

Thirteen authors present twelve articles concerning the development of basic skills programs in secondary schools. These articles focus on the following topic areas: practices and strategies for teaching basic skills in secondary classrooms; language as a factor in basic skills learning; development of skills in oral communication, reading,…