Teachers as readers would have a more pleasant and stimulating job if they were reading essays that interested them. The step to reading a good paper is designing a good assignment. Some areas that need to be defined for students before they begin to write are outlined. (MLW)

The 10 editions of the newsletter provide a forum for the sharing of research findings, observations, instructional strategies, and opinions on subjects pertaining to college level teaching and college faculty. Multiple subjects are discussed in each issue and are often based on recent books. Among the topics covered and the issues in which they…

When the teacher does writing assignments along with students, students see four things: how the teacher would approach the assignment; how to do revisions; how even the teacher makes grammatical and spelling errors in the first draft; and how those errors get corrected. (MLW)

A system is described in which students are assigned to keep minutes for each class, read the minutes to the next class, and submit them for grading. The approach is helpful to both teachers and students throughout the course in diagnosing problems, introducing grading criteria, and reinforcing basic skills. (MSE)

Encouraging students' use of satire, irony, and parody in college writing assignments is recommended to help students voice their concerns, think critically, and discover how a form of discourse contributes to both form and substance of the writing. Samples of student work illustrating the effectiveness of this approach are offered. (MSE)

Describes the college-level use of written reading reactions structured assignments requiring students to describe and react in writing to assigned reading, followed by classroom discussion in which all students must select and share ideas. The method is found to encourage on-time reading of assignments, broader student participation, higher…

Argues that assignments requiring the student to write in a specific genre stimulate formation and retention of critical concepts about the genre. A classroom experiment compared the results of a sonnet-writing assignment with a traditional essay-writing assignment about sonnets, confirming the effectiveness of the experiential approach.…

An anthropology professor required students to compose essay questions that they felt summarized the principal issues and objectives of the course, based on lecture content. In the final examination, students were given several of their own questions to answer. Students felt they learned more from this format. (MSE)

End-of-term assignments proven to be successful alternatives to college term papers include abstracts of journal articles on assigned topics, book reviews, group papers and projects, thought papers presented to class, and take-home final examinations. They change the professor's role form authority to facilitator and are worth the time spent…

To address concerns that college students do not develop adequate oral communication skills, guidelines are offered to faculty for designing oral presentation assignments within their courses, developing grading criteria, guiding students in their preparation for speaking, and addressing some of the unique challenges of this process, which include…

An exercise designed to provide students with an opportunity to take responsibility for learning an assigned reading and to share ideas with their colleagues is described. The exercise also provides a safe atmosphere in which to practice communication skills, critical thinking, and decision making. (MLW)

Classroom discussion can be valuable in college math and can be enhanced by: adding time in the agenda by not repeating textbook material; welcoming classroom participation; using assignments and exams for in-class interaction; and integrating material from different parts of the course, or different courses, into classroom discussion. (MSE)

Describes a writing assignment in which students are required to research, individually, an aspect of their college and present results as an alumni magazine article. A second, collaborative assignment brings the class together to write about a significant campus issue. Benefits include better knowledge of the college, its programs, and its…

Lists questions that can be used to help students learn how to write letters of inquiry. States that as a result, students begin to feel less like students and more like professionals. (RT)

A college instructional module uses the film "JFK" and related reading materials to convince even the less motivated students that reasoning abilities can be of significant personal and public value. Small groups are assigned presentations based on research and readings. Student response has been enthusiastic and the technique has been…