After a grueling grading campaign, a chemist asked a writing and rhetoric specialist for help improving formal reports in the introductory organic chemistry lab. Together, we realized that the very best student reports employ many persuasive moves in the combined results and discussion subsection, whereas weaker papers omit the persuasive…

As strong proponents of problem-based learning (PBL), the authors designed and taught an interdisciplinary, team-taught PBL course on Writing Science for the Public at a midsize northeastern state university. This approach led to emphasizing collaboration and experiential learning and resulted in media-rich student projects.

Analytical writing enhances retention of science learning and is integral to student-centered classrooms. Despite this, scientific writing in undergraduate programs is often presented as a series of sentence-level conventions of grammar, syntax, and citation formats, reinforcing students' perceptions of its highly prescriptive nature. The authors…

Writing stories is advocated as an excellent means of learning the process of science; however, little is understood about students' experiences of engaging in story writing in postsecondary science courses. The study described in this article was designed to improve the practice of using stories in science by examining students' lived experience…

Writing has an important role in science education and practice. Emphasizing the interdisciplinary collaboration between English rhetoric studies and biology, seemingly disparate disciplines, we describe a model for a scientific writing and communication course. The goals of the course were to prepare students for science-oriented careers, as well…

Describes how to adopt a Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) in an introductory college chemistry laboratory to promote a more positive attitude in students and better conceptual understanding of laboratory reports. (Author/MM)

Helps students connect science concepts with real world issues at New York's Baruch College. Fuses journalistic writing and research techniques into introductory science courses by requiring students to write journal articles based on knowledge generated during course work. Discusses successes and failures of this project. (ASK)

Described is a method of teaching laboratory report writing to undergraduate students. The sections of student lab reports are reviewed and compared with scientific papers. The writing process including drafts and peer review is discussed. Results of the use of this method are provided. (CW)

Describes a study in which students were required to write for five minutes after class on topics that interested them during the lecture. Reports a significant effect on achievement in a vertebrate biology class. Notes that no difference in attitude was found. (MVL)

Discussed is the use of writing as a tool to monitor student growth and development. The value of writing to help overcome obstacles such as misconceptions and preconceptions is stressed. A concept map of a hierarchy of writing strategies is provided. Stressed is the value of writing in the development of process skills. (CW)