the
university writing center
"because
writers need readers"
of-clas
| Ideas which Require Minimal Out-of-class Time Grading methods: assign and grade very short (one-sentence) assignments, collect writing, but grade it on quantity only, collect writing, but read only some of the class's work (enough to find good models), collect/read writing at random (every student will have some work read some of the time). |
| You can help students understand thesis-based writing by asking them to write only one sentence. The trick is that the sentence must be a thesis statement (e.g. a one-sentence summary of an essay's argument). Student can write thesis statements that summarize assigned readings or class lectures, or thesis statements that summarize their work-in-progress. |
| Have students write their own multiple-choice quiz questions for each textbook chapter they read in a course. Students might be required to turn in their questions each week. You can provide guidelines for the kinds of questions you want them to write, and incorporate their questions into your quizzes. |
If you include comprehensive essay questions on your final exam, try passing out the questions on the first day of class. Certainly this will answer the question, "What's this course really about?" And it will spare you the endless repetition of the question, "Will this be on the test?" Tell your students you expect them to find the means of working nearly everything covered into those questions. Tell them, too, that they may practice answering these questions all term long, incorporating new material as they learn it. |
| Occasionally throughout the semester, distribute a practice exam question, and ask students to set a watch and do the writing at home under simulated exam conditions. Collect the practice exams, read a random sampling, and then make a transparency of an A exam for class discussion. (You might need to write one yourself--use the same writing conditions as the students.) During class, discuss why this answer would have received an A. |
| Give students a chance to share what they're learning with their peers. Assign a draft of a short article for the Central Florida Future or Knight Times commenting on the relevance of something learned in your course to student life, diversity on campus, or any other issue they care to write about. Encourage students to revise what they write and submit it for publication. (You could provide this opportunity for extra credit. Wouldn't a publication in a suitable periodical be worth a few points?) |
| Frame assignments give students an organizational pattern that guides their thinking about content. Students must come up with the needed generalizations and supporting data to complete the prescribed form. Example: "To figure out how fast a small steel marble will roll down an inclined plane, you need to have, at a minimum, the following pieces of information. First, you need to know . . . Second, you need . . . [Third . . . Fourth . . .]" |
| Students can become more interested in a topic when they see how it applies to their own lives. Short writing tasks can be assigned to help students find such connections. For example, "Describe times in your life when you have experienced role strain and role conflict. What are the key differences between these terms, and why is the distinction useful?" [sociology] |
| At the end of the semester, suggest that your students write notes to the next class, explaining how to study for your course and how to avoid the mistakes they themselves have made. You might provide categories: how to do the writing, how to manage the reading, how to take good notes, how to study for the exam, etc. (Bonus: if you put these notes on a handout, they'll be a great resource for opening the class the next time you teach it.) |
| To encourage students to start their papers early, require them to turn in early drafts, notes, etc. along with their final papers. Not only will you see evidence of their writing process, you'll help discourage plagiarism. |