This monograph explores the ways in which first-year college students can benefit from writing and offers concrete, practical suggestions for implementing writing in freshman seminar courses. Chapter 1, "Why Use Writing in a Freshman Seminar?" builds on the notion that writing is a process of discovery. Chapter 2, "Write it More Than Once: The…

By applying the principles of total quality management (TQM), freshman composition can be taught in a way that focuses on the customer (the student), engenders a willingness for continuous improvement, builds quality into the process of writing, empowers the student to become responsible for his/her work, and allows students to make the necessary…

This paper contains three lesson plans about India for use at the community college level by teachers of freshman English, any literature course that includes a unit on Indian literature, or English as a Second Language. The lessons vary in length and depth with the pace set by the professor. None is intended to be completed in one class period.…

A study was conducted in the Rancho Santiago Community College District to track the academic performance of 238 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Asian students and 301 ESL Hispanic students for three semesters (fall 1987 through spring 1988). The students had entered English 101 classes by way of ESL 110, the highest level composition class for…

In fall 1991, Solano Community College (California) undertook a study comparing the writing skills of students in an integrated course combining history and freshman English composition with students in unpaired history and English classes. Students were divided into three groups: the integrated class and two control groups, one taking history…

Training of teaching assistants (TAs) in the Writing Program at the University of Massachusetts is described. Training prepares TAs for the responsibility of being the primary class instructors who design the curriculum, teach, and evaluate students with minimal supervision. Training sessions consist of an orientation workshop at the beginning of…

In an effort to actively engage students in writing and introduce them to more rigorous texts and assignments, the first-year literature/composition course at Nassau Community College (New York) was modified. The primary change consisted of the teacher participating in all classroom and take-home writing assignments. In addition, texts by authors…

The Introductory Writing Programs developed for freshman students at Northeastern University are described in this document. The introduction outlines the programs' philosophy, which is based on the notion that all writers are developing writers regardless of their ability. The second section looks at how students are placed in either Freshman…

This report focuses on the state-supported Undergraduate Writing Program at Illinois State University (ISU). Several innovations have contributed to the expansion and improvement of ISU's Undergraduate Writing Program, whose key components are: the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program in the College of Arts and Sciences; the use of microcomputers…

Describes a small, decentralized, flexible program for training instructors of freshman composition. Recommends ways to capture the flavor of small programs in larger university settings. (SKC)

Describes study that examined the effect of the use of microcomputers as word processors in a college freshman English composition course. Treatments for the experimental and control groups are described, dependent and independent variables are explained, and results based on pretest and posttest writing samples are analyzed. (21 references) (LRW)

A comparative study examined the extent of growth in overall writing quality of college freshmen to determine whether feedback from the instructor during planning and the composing process (especially on the computer) was more effective than another instructor's feedback during conferences on each final, graded writing product in the students'…

A study examined the effects of race, class, and gender on writing. Data from the 6-year longitudinal study was carried out from 1989 to 1995 at City College of City University of New York. Subjects were African-American, Latino, Asian, and White students enrolled in three composition classes, one at each of the two levels of basic writing and one…

This report presents a quantitative analysis of the educational outcomes associated with a three-year pilot project at the City College of New York (CCNY) to change the focus of the college's writing program from remediation to enrichment. The project substituted a two-semester nontracked, college-level writing sequence for two remedial courses…

This book presents 93 essays that offer guidance, reassurance, and commentary on the many activities leading up to and surrounding classroom instruction in first-year composition. Essays in the book are written by instructors who teach in community colleges, liberal arts colleges, state university systems, and research institutions. The 14 section…