To teach effective business communication, instructors must target students’ current weaknesses in writing. One method for doing so is by assigning writing exercises. When used heuristically, writing exercises encourage students to practice self-assessment, self-evaluation, active learning, and knowledge transfer, all while reinforcing the basics…

Assurance of learning continues to be a hot topic in higher education. Both accreditation agencies and employers are asking a key question: Are we graduating students who actually have the knowledge and skills that we promise? This case study focuses on business writing in an MBA program and presents a prescriptive, five-step program to improve…

Describes a writing assignment in a business communication class in which students, in previously designated study groups, discover for themselves the complex interaction between a writer and an audience by becoming the president, vice president, and manager of operations of a company, and solve a problem that they can handle only through memos.…

Considers how many students walk into the class with an array of technical communicating perspectives that open the door for practical experiences. Believes that a technical communicator employs the ethnographic process for the purpose of creating technical documents. Presents an ethnographic framed assignment that requires a collaboratively…

Describes a project incorporating writing-to-learn activities into an introductory finance class. Discusses benefits to students and teachers. (SR)

Finds that augmenting written comments on students' business writing assignments with audiotaped remarks motivated student writers, and improved feedback, context, and performance. (SR)

Reviews three different systems for use in responding to and grading the work of students in written business communication courses: written comments, conferences, and peer evaluation. Discusses advantages and disadvantages of each as well as ways to maximize effectiveness. (SR)