Composition teachers have generally embraced collaborative learning in the years since Kenneth Bruffee published his first article promoting its advantages in "College English" in 1972. But assigning collaboratively written papers in an introductory college writing course is still rare. This study assesses the benefits and drawbacks of assigning a…

Peer-response remains a central process in first-year composition; faculty can make it effective and efficient by "spotlighting"--designing the process as digital, emergent, and distributive. In this article, the author first elaborates on his own use of peer-response terminology. He favors "peer-response" as the descriptive term for…

This article presents an exchange between Kip Strasma and Elizabeth Tomlinson. Strasma responds to "Gender and Peer Response" by Tomlinson, and Tomlinson responds to Strasma's ""Spotlighting": Peer-Response in Digitally Supported First-Year Writing Courses." Both of them respond to each other's cross talk.

Examines how instructors in traditional classrooms can equip their students to take part in a culture saturated with and negotiated by technology. (TB)

Shows how computers can be highly effective teaching tools through large visual displays in the classroom. Encourages and helps teachers to overcome their resistance to technology. (TB)

Claims that teaching writing in a computer-assisted classroom is often fraught with unforeseen and often unnecessary problems. Lists 10 commandments (and 9 helpful hints) for composition instructors using computer-assisted classrooms. (HB)

Describes computer conferencing as a particularly useful alternative to traditional approaches to teaching college composition. Gives a basic outline of how an instructor might utilize computer networks to set up a composition course. (HB)

Argues for the importance of a critical view of computers in which educators give careful consideration to the computer's good or bad effects on research and teaching. Asks how the educators can best integrate hardware, software, and the Internet into their professional lives. (TB)

Includes five teaching suggestions: "From Marvell to Tennyson to Eliot: Or Are You a Prufrock or a Ulysses?" by Bill Shaw; "Attendance and Contact Records," by Kaye E. White; "Viewer Mail," by Paul Hunter; "Electronic Journal," by James W. Smith; "Responding to a Need-for-Advice Question," by John…

Explains how a teacher taught a composition course at a community college through electronic and networked computer systems. Describes how the course was organized on the computer; how he composed instructional materials; what some of the special instructional concerns were, such as plagiarism; and what some of the possibilities for developing the…

Presents and discusses three confessions regarding the effects computers have had on writing processes and products of three writing teachers. Suggests approaches to the use of word processing in composition courses and to research on such use. (SD)

Describes in detail many of the current computer software products with which students can improve their writing. Outlines and critiques current computer offerings, including grammar checking software, drafting and revision software, on-line writing guides, and style analysis software. (HB)

Grading essays and research papers can be the most trying part of any writing instructor's job. Fitting corrections, suggestions, and notes between double-spaced lines of text and into margins often creates a legibility problem, which only worsens when grading stacks of papers to meet deadlines. This essay describes electronic grading, a method…

Suggests that students do a better job of revising their essays when more than one student has suggested possibilities for revision. Contains tips on training students in the process of peer reviewing. (TB)

As students enter college, English composition instructors complain that students lack essential grammar basics to create clear, coherent pieces of writing. The number of students requiring developmental coursework at institutions has increased significantly since the institution of mandatory placement in 2000. In the face of the challenge to…