We assessed whether and how the discourse written for prototype integrated tasks (involving writing in response to print or audio source texts) field tested for Next Generation TOEFL[R] differs from the discourse written for independent essays (i.e., the TOEFL Essay[R]). We selected 216 compositions written for six tasks by 36 examinees in a field…

This paper describes a student essay competition with the title "What makes a good engineering lecturer?" run by the Engineering Subject Centre of the UK Higher Education Academy. The competition was intended primarily to provide engineering lecturers with general feedback. The aim of the paper is to make the outcomes of the competition…

A Response to Intervention (RTI) model proposes identification of students with reading difficulties on the basis of a series of progressively more intensive instructional interventions over extended periods of time. Learners with serious reading difficulties are those whose difficulties are not resolved by the interventions. Three advantages of…

Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an effective and interactive approach to teaching mathematics and science. This approach involves the course instructor and peer leaders working with teams of students in weekly workshops. In this article, the authors state that peer leaders play a key role in the success of the peer learning teaching method. They…

This monograph has assembled together student and parent biblioesssays, position papers and reflective commentary from professionals who work with deafblind students. For the students profiled in this monograph, like many deafblind students, access to academic achievement was often met with obstacles due to low expectations, inadequate support…

The Science Foundation Programme (SFP) at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg attempts to address past educational inequalities by providing disadvantaged matriculants with the skills, resources and self-confidence needed to embark on their tertiary studies. Students entering the Programme typically adopt a surface approach to…

This study examined the construct validity of the "e-rater"® automated essay scoring engine as an alternative to human scoring in the context of TOEFL® essay writing. Analyses were based on a sample of students who repeated the TOEFL within a short time period. Two "e-rater" scores were investigated in this study, the first…

This article deals with the place of learner corpora, i.e. corpora containing authentic language data produced by learners of a foreign/second language, in English for academic purposes (EAP) pedagogy and sets out to demonstrate that they have a valuable contribution to make to the field. Following an initial brief introduction to corpus-based…

Doing well on tests and earning good grades begin with good study habits. This digest offers a plan to help in preparing for tests. It explains how to study for and take tests. Organization, planning, and time management skills are essential to becoming a successful student. A good student reads assignments, listens during lectures, and takes good…

Brief, impromptu essays written for the 1990 administration of the College Board's English Composition Test (ECT) were randomly sampled for four groups of examinees. These essays were subjected to further holistic ratings beyond those conducted for the ECT, and analytical ratings were also obtained. The holistic scores were correlated with the…

The guide lists selective references available at the McGill University (Canada) Humanities and Social Sciences Library or Center for Research Libraries for researchers of French literature. An introductory section offers tips for online literature searchers. Citations are listed in these categories: guides to the literature; general…

Based on the idea that to beat the competition and impress college admissions officers a student must write a first-rate college application, this guide provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for applications that get results. The guide contains worksheets, checklists, and examples that will help the student in the admissions process.…

A case is presented for adjusting the scores for free response items in the Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Using information about the rating process from the reliability studies, administrations of the AP test for three subject areas, psychology, computer science, and English language and composition, are analyzed. In the reliability studies, 299…

This book provides a collection of papers that address issues central to university ideals: the teaching of values, the role of philosophy and literary studies in their sister disciplines (especially history), the precarious balance between research and teaching, the defense of intellectual autonomy, and the public responsibility of the…

Literature instructors become frustrated as they read poorly written student essays. The problem is partly the students' lack of experience: they have not read a lot or written a lot. Literature classes can be more interesting and effective if teachers coordinate two kinds of emphases: allowing for discovery and moving toward productivity. In…