In this program profile, we describe the development of a new track in Science Communication (SciComm) for an existing Professional Writing minor offered by an independent Writing Program. We identify the international and local exigencies for improving SciComm; the resources needed for this new track--both those already in place and those…

The authors outline the basic structure of akshara, the basic unit of writing in Indic writing systems used widely in South and Southeast Asia; present preliminary studies relating to reading, assessment, and instruction of akshara; and outline recommendations for future studies.

This paper details an assignment sequence that requires graduate students in an applied communication program to identify problems that clients may not be aware of. Good writing and good problem-solving are "inextricably linked to [a student's] ability to frame an issue, gather, and analyze information, and to structure a helpful response" (Musso,…

Discusses the New York Institute of Technology's On-line Campus (OLC) program and then examines difficulties that arise in adapting a traditional course syllabus and structure to the "conceptual" classroom of a fully online composition class. Proposes an evolving syllabus as one solution to these difficulties. Discusses issues raised by…

High school teacher Karen E. Moynihan creates a multimodal project inspired by the creative nonfiction style of "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean. Students choose a collectible item and immerse themselves in the subculture of the collectors. The project includes participation in library and field research, interviews, photography and graphic…

Describes an advanced composition course involving individual projects which encourage collaboration. Outlines the class, describes how selected students have responded to different elements of it, and comments on what the teacher has learned from it. (SR)

A study examined an initial effort to restructure the content, format, and instruction of a preservice literacy methods course and the effect it had on 13 preservice teachers relative to their movement toward reflective inquiry and practice in literacy teaching. Data were collected from the preservice teachers using questionnaires, journals,…

Current changes in health care professions requiring practitioners to have more and better communications skills are necessitating the integration of writing into the health curricula of higher education programs. At Ferris State University, a number of models (in Optometry, Dental Hygiene, Health Systems Management, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medical…

A college composition course based on teaching the difference between male and female modes of rhetoric offers advantages over the traditional course in reference, persuasive, and expressive discourse: the appeal to student emotion provided by the terms "female" and "male," and the clarity of the terms in delineating the…

Describes a technical writing course built around student-designed projects. Argues that the course allows students to address worthwhile problems and to research and present their material in proposals, feasibility studies, research reports, and other appropriate forms. (SRT)

Describes a two-semester writing program that prepares English majors for professional writing careers in business or industry. (AEA)

Designed chiefly for the growing number of technical and business writing teachers in two year colleges, this collection of articles helps teachers understand technology and business students so that they can teach courses that satisfy the writing needs of those students. Written by practicing teachers or writers, the articles offer viewpoints on…

Draft specifications for an undergraduate course in professional writing, designed to teach practical writing skills, are presented in this paper. The paper notes the need for such a course to prepare professional personnel for the writing they do in their jobs, and it suggests that the course be aimed at juniors and seniors in liberal arts,…

A course in advanced English as a second language that focused on the writing of formal research papers revealed that even students who had chosen personally interesting topics and were able to organize facts and present them well still had difficulty. They had problems beginning and ending their papers, they approached their topics warily, and…

The issues and problems confronted by a professor of literature when asked to teach a technical writing course for engineers are related in this paper. The first section of the paper explains how the professor was "recycled" from a teacher of literature to a professor of technical writing at his college. The second section describes some of the…