This article examines two course redesigns undertaken to improve student support, learning, and retention in the basic writing program at Oakland University, a doctoral research university in southeast Michigan, where support for developmental writers has fluctuated dramatically between nurture and neglect over the past fifty years. However,…

The report discusses the findings of a study on the reading and writing demands of college-level courses at Maryland's Charles County Community College (College of Southern Maryland as of July 1, 2000). The Language and Literature Department wanted to determine whether its developmental courses were actually preparing students for the reading and…

Discusses barriers adult developmental-writing students face due to family, community, and work responsibilities. Explains how non-writing commitments affect the writing process, particularly by placing time constraints on students. Offers instructors classroom activities to help students contextualize their writing situations and to learn methods…