The marriage of computer-assisted and portfolio-based approaches to freshman composition, while already in place at other institutions of higher education, is a new approach at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Intended as a part of the English Department's ongoing effort to improve the quality of instruction, computer-assisted,…

Compares English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) students in first-year English classes writing in two contexts: in a networked computer class and in a traditional lecture-style class. Shows that the networked setting promoted better writing and more peer and teacher feedback, and that the traditional setting promoted more improvement in writing. (RS)

A multimedia pilot program at Laramie County Community College, Wyoming, used a series of instructional modules with testing units to allow freshman composition students to review their own particular areas of weakness, to test themselves, and to move on at their own pace. The program used the technologies available in the school's…