University of New Mexico - Valencia Campus
Teaching & Learning Center
Improving Student Writing
Why it is important to write well? Basic Points to remember. Some recommendations for the effective writing. http://www.uab.edu/uasomume/cdm/write.htm
You don't have to be a writing specialist - or even an accomplished writer - to improve your students' writing skills, and you don't have to sacrifice hours of class time or grading time. The ideas that follow are designed to make writing more integral to your courses and less onerous to you and your students. http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/writebetter.html
What are the key aspects of using writing to enhance the quality of student learning? Various writers have identified the importance of the following three key points: http://www.ou.edu/idp/tips/ideas/writing.htm
One of the big problems many professors have had is how to evaluate essays in a way that is relatively quick, is fair to the students, and offers helpful feedback. These two forms show two versions of an approach that many have found useful. http://www.ou.edu/idp/tips/evalwrite.htm
It is helpful to distinguish between two very different goals for writing. The normal and conventional goal is writing to demonstrate learning: for this goal the writing should be good--it should be clear and, well . . . right. It is high stakes writing. There is another important kind of writing that is less commonly used and valued, and so I want to stress it here: writing for learning. This is low stakes writing. .... http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/writing.htm
We should note here that a college is a big place and that you'll be asked to use writing to fulfill different tasks. You'll find occasions where you'll succeed by summarizing a reading accurately and showing that you understand it. There may be times when you're invited to use writing to react to a reading, speculate about it. http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/high_school_v_college.htm
Preparing process for writing and drafting paper http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/preparing_to_write_and_drafting.htm
Here are some steps for re-reading and revising your essays in a reasonably objective way. These steps may seem formulaic and mechanical, but you need a way to diagnose your own prose so that you have some sense of how others will read it. http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/strategy_for_analyzing_and_rev.htm
If you are satisfied that you have made a claim, supported and qualified it; that the parts of your paper hang together, you are probably ready to write your last draft introduction and conclusion. These are important, because the first thing your reader reads creates a "frame" through which your reader readers, understands, and interprets everything that follows. http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/revising_the_introduction.htm
At some point, you may find yourself staring at the screen or paper, utterly blocked. You can think of nothing to say that does not sound stupid. You are overwhelmed by the task of assembling evidence for your point, or you are so overwhelmed by little pieces of evidence that you can't imagine a way to make them cohere into a single point. This happens to everyone: the key is to find a productive way out of the situation. http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/but_what_if_you_get_stuck.htm
Malaspina isn't necessarily training for a specific job niche, but rather providing a general education which prepares the students for a variety of possibilities. In any case, students must have some of the following skills: the ability to solve problems, the ability to examine ideas carefully and support them with evidence. http://www.mala.bc.ca/www/wac/proj.htm
Self-assessments are designed to help determine what your students already know about their papers, and therefore facilitate your commenting. ...You can say, "You're very clear about your thesis in your self-assessment. Where have you put it in the paper?" http://bokcenter.harvard.edu/docs/SelfAssess.html
Self-assessment sheet to be given to students http://bokcenter.harvard.edu/docs/longSA.html
Rather than view writing as the outcome of student learning, many instructors use writing as a tool to help students learn. Networked technologies enable students to receive feedback from a diverse audience as they draft papers and formulate thoughts. Feedback from peers, instructors and others helps turn the writing process into a learning process. http://www.unc.edu/cit/newchalk/ncv1n9.html
Why it is important to write well? Basic Points to remember. Some recommendations for the effective writing. http://www.uab.edu/uasomume/cdm/write.htm
We recognize that writing especially is a primary tool in learning itself, not just a means of expressing learning that has taken place. Writing is a powerful mode of thinking; writing involves making choices and then ordering those choices effectively. http://www.osu.edu/grants/dpg/fastfact/writing.html
It is helpful to distinguish between two very different goals for writing. The normal and conventional goal is writing to demonstrate learning: for this goal the writing should be good--it should be clear and, well . . . right. It is high stakes writing. There is another important kind of writing that is less commonly used and valued, and so I want to stress it here: writing for learning. This is low stakes writing. .... http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/writing.htm
In-class writing assignments can take a number of different forms, but they tend to share similar characteristics. They Promote active learning, Require limited time to complete, Encourage discussion.http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/inclasswr.html
Professors have long used essay questions and term papers as a device to test what students have learned in a course. But writing also has the potential to increase the quantity and quality of student learning. http://www.ou.edu/idp/tips/ideas/quick6.html
Effective writing is a skill that can contribute in many ways to one's success in biomedical research, clinical care, communication to patients and the public, and service in national organizations and on state and local committees. http://www.uab.edu/uasomume/cdm/resources.htm#Writing