In a freshman English class that aims at improving the students' general writing ability, reading activities and materials should be used only to the extent that they directly contribute to writing development. The following criteria can be used to select and evaluate reading materials for a writing class: (1) stimulating quality; (2) relevance;…

Teaching undergraduate students to write required essays for academic courses is the focus of this paper. In a preparatory lecture the instructor explains essay standards and provides instructions for writing essays. An model essay is presented to each class member to be used as a guide for class compositions. The appendix includes an essay of…

The effects of student effort exerted studying, and of written feedback from the instructor, were studied in undergraduate classrooms. Students received high or low-effort assignments, and high or low praise from their teacher. Those completing high-effort assignments and receiving high praise formed significantly more positive attitudes.…

Discusses the design and teaching of an online undergraduate course and considers similarities and differences of learning and teaching in traditional and electronic environments. Highlights include instructional design; course assignments; student course evaluations; and the relationship between course curriculum and goals, pedagogy, and student…

This chapter argues that the use of debates in a core world history course can foster both authentic learning in the discipline and progress toward intellectual and ethical maturity.

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of a cognitive computer tool by undergraduate calculus students as they worked cooperatively on mathematical tasks. Specific attention was given to levels of cognitive demand in which the students were engaged as they completed in-class labs with the assistance of MathCAD. Participants were assigned…

This paper reports on the effectiveness of an innovative course design that bridges classes from two different disciplines. The "Bridge" design creates assignments in two classes: a summary class and a panel class. The design encourages students to engage in teaching and interacting with their peers within and across disciplines, and…

Television commercials and print ads have proven to be an effective means of introducing composition students to strategies for analysis and writing. They rely heavily on the eye to interpret images quickly according to fairly reliable habits. They are naturally occurring forms of argument and students have substantial intuitive competence with…

The academic setting for many students is frightening, but it is especially so for students with a strong religious background. For such students, the academic atmosphere is, at best, not neutral but empty of teachers and classes that would encourage them to deepen their religious resources. In a "Point of View" essay in the "Chronicle of Higher…

This bibliography offers detailed summaries of five articles (published between 1983 and 1993) that provide practical and theoretical advice on designing writing assignments that can serve as more than just evaluation tools. The articles summarized in the bibliography confirm common sense but also dispel some common misconceptions about student…

This paper observes that the "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education" generated by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) (2000) provides a reasonable set of pedagogical goals to guide the construction and implementation of the undergraduate methods course. The paper argues that the particular…

Discusses a means for increasing undergraduate and graduate students' level of empathy. Assigned students to write about and role play a character that they create who suffers from a psychological disorder. Explains that after quantitative and qualitative analyses it was demonstrated that students' empathy increased. (CMK)

Reports study results concerning the effects of peer tutoring, library assistance, and extra credit incentives upon student research paper quality. Indicates that students who sought help got better grades. Reveals a strong correlation between the number of consultations and final research paper grades. Concludes that grade point average also was…

Describes, in a case study-like format, a cognitive strategy that might be helpful to the learning-disabled (LD) college student who must organize and write a longer text. Presents a brief description of an LD student and an actual writing assignment. Describes how the student completed the task. Discusses educational implications. (RS)

Describes an assignment that requires students to organize, prepare, and revise a case study in abnormal behavior. Explains that students employ a single theoretical perspective in preparing a report on a figure from history, literature, the arts, or current events. Discusses the value of the assignment for students. (SG)