To provide students with the literacy strategies necessary to function successfully in a technologically supported society, teachers must realize how the multilayered grammars of computers continue to affect their definition of literacy. Computer-supported writing centers are an excellent site for teachers to share ideas about this changing…

This report describes a computer-assisted writing laboratory project integrating Model Curriculum Standards (teacher-developed instructional literature guides integrating the reading of core pieces of literature with the writing process), the writing process, computer hardware and software, and staff development. The report estimates that in the…

Describes a student-centered software package designed at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin to support student writing by helping students generate ideas, improve organization and development, and improve editing capabilities. Describes UT's basic writers and presents findings from the classroom research-based program evaluation. (DMM)

Describes study designed to investigate students' attitudes and strategies when writing with the aid of a computer. Interviews with four undergraduates enrolled in a computer-assisted section of advanced composition are discussed, and participant observation and document analysis are also used to examine the combined processes of composing and…

To determine whether basic writers revise more successfully using word processors as opposed to pen and paper, a study investigated the quality of revision of approximately 100 college basic writers in three classes at a southern university. In the fall semester, word processors were used in each of the three classes once every two weeks. In the…

Noting that the educational software market is expanding at a precipitous rate, but with considerable variation in quality, this paper outlines a thorough set of tangible and useful questions, based on two years of program design for English and writing lab usage. The major portion of the paper discusses criteria for evaluation in each of the…

Provides guidelines and practical advice for planning and running a computer lab for writing. (NKA)

Evaluates several views of the relationship between computers and education, and criticizes the use of artificial intelligence and natural language processing software for evaluating student writing. Recommends utilizing programs that use heuristic methods to ask students a series of questions to help them organize and compose papers. (SKC)

Describes an informal study of the relationship between peer tutors and writers in a college writing lab. Notes that while working with the computer, the varying social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds of the participants vanish and a new relationship develops. (SKC)

Describes the computer-assisted composition laboratory at Methodist College (North Carolina) and explains software developed for freshman composition that combines skills for writing essays, word processing, and a spell-checker. Faculty and student attitudes are reported, and suggestions for future freshman composition courses are given. (LRW)

Noting that computers have fascinated teachers looking for new and better ways of teaching writing, not because the machines make students into better writers, but because they are useful tools that make editing and revising much easier, this paper explores the use of computers to teach writing, based on the experiences of a writing laboratory…

In its second year of operation (1988-1989 academic year), the Electronic Writing Center (EWC) of the Union County College in Cranford, New Jersey has expanded its capabilities and the amount of service it provides to at-risk students through the Computers in the Curricula Project. Major changes include: (1) increased numbers of classes and…

Discussion of the use of microcomputer-assisted instruction for advanced college writing courses emphasizes word processing exercises and programmed lessons. Topics discussed include computer writing labs, local area networks, commercially available software for writing instruction, teacher developed programs, and authoring languages and authoring…

More than half of the entering freshmen at Rio Grande College in Ohio are required to take developmental English. In addition to having grammar, reading, and writing difficulties to overcome, most of these students have negative attitudes toward writing. In an effort to improve students' writing skills and attitudes, word processing instruction…

Concentrates on reviewing literature on the use of computers to assist the composing process and the teaching of composing in the writing center. Deals with the following categories of software: (1) general, (2) prewriting, (3) organizing, (4) drafting, (5) revising, and (6) proofreading/copy editing. (SKC)