This experiment examined learning differences between students who read instructional examples that varied in the order that information was presented. In an online lesson about advice giving, 275 students were randomly assigned to a learning condition where the order of instructional information moved either from (a) concrete examples to abstract…

Describes a sequential model (organized around seven writing assignments that culminate in a substantial essay in rhetorical/critical analysis) for teaching rhetorical criticism as written argument. Asserts that learning to write argumentative prose should be a central concern of undergraduate courses in rhetorical criticism. (MM)