Describes a short course designed to help employees overcome common writing problems. Suggests that many writing problems result from deficiencies in freshman composition courses, and recommends five changes. (ARH)

Supports linking reading and writing by teaching at-risk college students a problem-solving approach which provides a thinking skill also applicable to other disciplines. Illustrates how problem-solving strategies can be used to teach reading. (SD)

For one instructor, learning that personal response, particularly emotions, had no place in the construction of a public self began in high school senior English class where students learned to never use personal pronouns in their writing. The lesson continued in college where she majored in journalism and literature under the direction of…

A study examined: (1) first-year college students and their perceptions of writing; (2) teaching assistants and their discursive preferences; and (3) possible limitations in the program's approach toward portfolio assessment. The study began with the examination of narration, persuasion, and analysis papers from six freshman portfolios. These…

This study investigated how writing groups function in a multilingual university classroom, the kinds of responses students in such groups give one another, and how students respond to peers' suggestions about writing. Subjects were 11 students of varied linguistic background in a freshman composition class. Data were gathered over 10 weeks…

A classroom study investigated the extent of rhetorical transfer in the writing of four Japanese students in a college-level sheltered English-as-a-Second-Language course. Most of the writing assignments from the first 10 weeks of class were analyzed for the number of sentences and clauses in each paragraph (other than introductory, concluding,…

Describes a project in which a college composition instructor and five students studied the relationship between general academic literacy and the content of freshman composition instruction. Concludes that the "discourse community" of the writing class differs greatly from the divergent roles of teacher and student in other…

This study investigated the predictive relationship between student attitudes and their subsequent achievement in a freshman composition course. Results indicated that academic background and student attitudes were significantly correlated with subsequent grade performance. Attitude variables were more closely related to overall grade performance…

Describes a freshman composition course that combines service learning and composition theory by having students publish Internet profiles of local social-service agencies. The project concludes a year-long course examining American social issues, drawing on varied texts and genres, and emphasizing social construction, active learning, the…

Discusses a first-year writing class composed of both Hispanic-American and Anglo students, arguing that rather than regarding online conflicts between students as mere "flaming," such conflicts can be seen as a way of helping students develop as literate citizens more aware of difference. (SR)

As graduate enrollment in English falls, largely due to program reduction, many college and university English departments are recruiting freshman composition instructors from other fields. Although they may be skilled writers, many receive little or no formal training in how to teach writing. Issues concerning the unionization of teaching…

Describes an internship program at a two-year college in which graduate students from 13 participating area graduate programs teach in the two-year college and receive training addressing pedagogical issues unique to community colleges, thus being immersed in a world of higher education that differs greatly from the research universities within…

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), located in a large metropolitan area, enrolls more than 29,000 students. Many of these students are the first in their families to go to college, commute to the campus for their classes, and have significant commitments--to work, spouses, children--that may interfere with their studies.…

Via a Speak Aloud and Write protocol methodology, this study investigated the characteristics of the wording formulation process of a select group of 7 African American students in freshman composition who claimed nonstandard features were active at least 30% to 40% of the time while they composed their papers. Control of rhetorical context was…

Involving graduate teaching assistants (GAs) in the development and implementation of rubrics has many benefits. GA involvement increases their sense of ownership of the rubrics and makes it more likely that they will regard the rubrics in a positive light. GAs have insights about the students whose work will be evaluated by the rubrics; and, as…