Art is visual literacy, some would say more basic than writing and speaking, because it is not hampered by the barrier of language. The process of creating a visual narrative and understanding visual literacy is multi-faceted. Because similar cognitive strategies are used in the practice of both visual and written literacy, incorporation of…

In this essay I present the results of a national study of over 2,000 writing assignments from college courses across disciplines. Drawing on James Britton's multidimensional discourse taxonomy and recent work in genre studies, I analyze the rhetorical features and genres of the assignments and consider the significance of my findings through the…

The interactive functions of weblogs facilitate computer-mediated peer reviews for collaborative writing. As limited research has been conducted on examining the training effects of peer reviews on students' peer comments, their revision quality, and their perceptions when composing in weblogs, the present case study aims to fill the gap. Thirteen…

Team-based learning (TBL) combines independent out of class preparation with in class small group discussion. We adopted TBL in teaching first year medical gross anatomy. In this study, we evaluated student perceptions of TBL by using a survey that elicited perceptions of both pedagogy and mode of learning. Anatomy lectures were replaced with…

Based on a questionnaire to academic staff, this article examines the reading and writing tasks assigned to undergraduate science students at a South African university. The article finds that although academic staff in science value clearly written and well-organised writing, few see it as their task to induct students into this literacy. Instead…

This document presents the syllabus for Library Instruction at the University of Rhode Island. The course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of bibliographic instruction and concentrates in the following areas: the history, philosophy, and structure of library education; cognitive aspects of library instruction; forms of library…

Learning about the experience of living in a state-funded, public residential high school for academically talented children was the purpose of an ethnographic inquiry. Studying and homework dominated the students' lives throughout the year. Four characteristic patterns of adjustment to doing homework are presented as cases of studying in action.…

The Basic Writing course at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst was altered to give voice to marginalized minority students. The reading list was changed to include predominantly non-White authors, and students were encouraged to reflect on these readings and express in writing their own experiences of marginalization. (SK)

Describes a college course that integrates science and literature. The primary focus is on the role of metaphor in scientific and literary thinking. Discusses literary works used and how they are related to science instruction. Describes the class format and rules for conducting the class. Student reaction to this course was strongly positive. (PR)

Urges college educators to define their institutions' academic literacy tasks by assessing the written and oral texts students will encounter, by identifying tasks assigned by professors, by determining how professors perceive their academic domain, and by defining students' perceptions of the tasks they encounter. Suggests ways and benefits of…

Describes three kinds of artifact kits (the Archaeology Dig kit, Grandmother's Trunk, and the Cultural Mystery kit) that teachers can assemble for use in their classrooms that provide links to multiple literacy events for students. Gives a list of selected sources for artifacts that will enable teachers to create artifact kits. (CMK)

This paper describes a game design and development course. The rationale for forming this class was to use student excitement with video games as an intrinsic motivation over traditional courses. Today's students have grown up exposed to gaming, interactive environments, and vivid 3D. Computer gaming has the capacity to attract many new students…

The academic community is more fully integrating technology into the business it conducts. Online courses are becoming more and more popular. Popular culture can be a source of commonality among students that can be used to more effectively teach leadership in an online environment. This manuscript outlines the use of a group book review…

This article presents a model for increasing science literacy of P-16 students as well as community members by engaging university students in the design and development of university museum exhibits. While the design of this project was in large part motivated by time and budget constraints faced by the faculty members involved, the positive…

The purpose of this action research project was to investigate approaches and techniques that would improve critical thinking skills in history classes at the secondary level. Students demonstrated apathy and boredom in history classes where the emphasis was on rote memorization and the regurgitation of accepted facts and conclusions. The problem…