Describes a "build-the-box" lesson to develop a better understanding of writing useful and effective instructions. Considers how the lack of instruction with this assignment compels students to think creatively to complete the project. Concludes that many students realize the difficulty in creating easy-to-understand instructions. Enhances the…

Describes an extended writing assignment used in a business communication class that combines a case study and original student research, thus defining a realistic business situation needing action and requiring students to research a business situation and apply the findings from their research to decide exactly what course of action is…

Claims personal narrative essays, although controversial, touch a unique chord in listeners and in readers. Suggest incorporating critical thinking and modeling by the instructor into personal narrative essay assignments. (NH)

Explores how a portfolio assessment project in the University of Cape Town's Chemistry Department developed (within staff) new understandings of the role of writing as a vehicle for learning, which resulted in a reexamination of the relationship of the written assignments to the existing curriculum. Discusses challenges of designing assessment…

Describes a report-writing assignment that uses business letters to bridge the gap between letters and reports. Notes that in the letter writing unit, students learn to apply the principles of good business writing to various types of letters; and in the report-writing unit, students learn the reporting process (planning, data gathering, analysis,…

Presents a case study for use in business communication classes to help students understand and learn both the context and the strategies for communication with business and management. Deals with a situation in which an executive wants to close down the company's fitness center but is open to arguments by one of its avid users. Includes two…

Argues that college writing instructors have an ethical obligation to help students to critically examine the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of writing in school so that the students understand how they have come to view writing and revision as punishment. (TB)

Describes three assignments the author uses when teaching Chaucer (suitable for college or college prep high school classes) in which students learn what iambic pentameter is by writing two rhyming couplets, a ten-line conversation in rhyming couplets, and a creative project of at least 25 rhyming couplets, all in iambic pentameter. (SR)

Shares some responses from those involved in an ongoing oral history and writing project that connects members from a senior center writing group with children 9 to 12 years old from a self-contained special education program. Hopes that these comments and insights will serve as a parting testimony to the value of such intergenerational efforts.…

Describes an assignment designed to assist senior English students in rediscovering their genuine selves. Invites students to create an imaginative piece that involves experimentation and intellectual risk. Encourages students to mix genres, devise new structures, collaborate, and incorporate other art forms in which they have some expertise.…

Explains how to use checklists as a tool for developing, implementing, and evaluating business writing assignments. Gives an example of their use with memoranda, short reports, and analytical field reports. (SK)

The authors address two informal writing assignments implemented in introductory economics classes. One assignment involves students writing short reflection papers, and the other assignment involves students writing short journal entries for a designated period of time. Both assignments are designed to help students realize that economics is…

The debate about what constitutes plagiarism and how it should be dealt with in the academy continues to gain momentum. The response from many higher education institutions is to channel ever-increasing amounts of resources into plagiarism detection technologies, rather than trying to ascertain why plagiarism might be occurring in the first place.…

Describes using the evolution-creation controversy to introduce students to the scientific method by having them write a paper that summarizes arguments used by those who took a viewpoint opposite their own. Results indicate that most students learned about the controversy, focused their views on where they stood, and valued the learning…

This note offers suggestions for using microthemes in diverse classes across the curriculum. Microthemes are short essays (100 to 250 words) that can be used in any class to address any issue. They are so versatile that Ray Smith has called them the "Swiss Army knife of writing assignments" (1) because they have so many applications: they can be…