Describes the development of a microcomputer writing lab designed for college freshmen English students. Argues that students in the lab write more and take more pride in their finished products. (RS)

Describes a successful interdepartmental program at a major research-oriented university that melds freshman writing with freshman biology. Extensive, repeated feedback on individual student writing projects from two instructors appears to work synergistically so that student learning is significantly enhanced. Particulars derived from five years…

The shift from limited-capacity personal computers to powerful workstation technology offers an environment for writing instruction that allows networking, simultaneous performance of many tasks, and tools for designing custom lessons and individual applications. At Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), a first-year writing course is supported…

The principle of athletic coaching is applied by analogy to first year community college writing instruction. The role of the coach and five essential elements are discussed: practice and drill (nongraded exercises); fouling out (assessment); playbooks and plays (resources and strategies); big games (formal research papers); and postmortem (review…

Examines different ways in which a range of computer-mediated communication tools can be used in similar classroom settings. Argues that curriculum design for writing classes is inextricably tied to how computer communications will be used in the class. Presents results of a semester-long study of two first-year writing classes using computers.…

Discusses the possibility of constructing a writing classroom in which unsolicited oppositional discourse might be allowed to flourish. Describes one student essay about gay-bashing and the huge response of college composition professionals to its public discussion. Argues that teachers can provide a space where cultures can meet and grapple. (HB)

Describes a first-year college composition course and the daily preparatory writing assignments, "inquiry response papers," that form its core. Describes how these assignments, in which students respond to their homework reading, have led to a collaborative, dialogic classroom where students realize and express their own voices, and have fostered…

Describes how the author uses the off-campus interview of a working professional as a foundation unit upon which to launch a first-year college writing course. Discusses teaching strategies to prepare for this real interview, and notes that the working professionals interviewed can become the writing instructor's best ally in motivating first-year…

Describes a method of teaching basic writing to native and nonnative students that emphasizes a regression to the most basic elements of writing. Considers what writing content, rhetorical techniques, grammar exercises, and proofreading methods are most effective for the two groups. (TB)

Proposes a model for writing program administrators to use to assess the effectiveness of composition programs. Argues the need to consider local conditions, evaluate the internal coherence of programs, and consider the external relevance of programs. Describes how using this model led the Writing Center at Northern Arizona University to make…

Describes two different experiments at De Anza College which illustrate coordinated teaching, a concept in which a group of faculty volunteer to work together for better instruction within the context of an existing program, maintaining their usual approaches to teaching a course, but allowing for collegial effort, some common work, and…

Students' experiences of gender critically influence their everyday lives, and introducing them to the presence of gender in language is essential if all students are to recognize and challenge stereotypes that portray people in limited, restrictive ways. For this reason, this article describes a workshop that draws from students' own knowledge of…

Hand-in-hand with the current renewed emphasis on student success and a resurgence of Writing Across the Curriculum, instructors in all disciplines need to refocus on Reading Across the Curriculum to address students' needs, to achieve instructional goals, and to prepare citizens for full participation in our democracy. It seems clear that a…

The introductory writing course, English 101, at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, has gone through several stages in the last decade, changing from a course emphasizing writing in the rhetorical modes to an issue-oriented interdisciplinary course, to, at the present time, a course focusing on the writing process and on collaborative…

For many students, grammar represents a baffling set of capricious rules wielded by "sadistic" English teachers for the sole purpose of making their lives miserable. To combat this misconception and to dispel the mystery and empower students with the ability to use the conventions of standard written English, a series of student…