INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / APRIL 30, 1991

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writing assignments in the course). Many students omitted creating a clearly written thesis statement in their opening paragraphs. Others skimped on specif- ics. Some failed to use paragraphs and an essay format. Therefore, in returning the papers to the classes, I debriefed the exercise and explained such matters as, “Raiford likes DETAILS; you MUST write in paragraphs; spelling and grammar, as well as punctuation, WILL count in this course!” In short, not only did I get a feel for students’ writing capabilities, but in my providing feedback I gave them a feel for just how serious I am about their writing well.

This exercise gave me a chance to introduce our Writing Center at the beginning of the semester, not “after the fact” of the first major essay test (in the third week of the course). The benefit to the students is obvious: With my pointers on composition and those from the Writing Center, students should be able to turn in improved papers throughout the remainder of the course. The benefits to me as the instructor are also

obvious: Essays are easier to grade, and frustration Over poor composition is reduced.

The purpose of this exercise was not to frighten or discourage students from staying in the course. No one dropped because of the writing requirements in the course! It was to instill, from the start, the necessity of putting to use in this course what students have been taught for years in their English classes. The results have been gratifying. Of 40 essay-letters, 30 proved acceptable and earned the extra-credit point. Also, in subsequent weeks of the term, eight of the students actually went to the Writing Center for assistance. I also collected the essay-letters and com- pared them with the first major essay assignments; 50% of the students who exhibited deficiencies in the initial essay-letters have now demonstrated rectification of those deficiencies. My time and frustration in subse- quent grading has diminished accordingly—not a bad payoff for following a whim and for spending a little extra time in grading essay tests on day two of classes!

fe eho oo of fo Essay Test On The Course Syllabus

Compose a four-paragraph essay about this course in the form of a letter to a “friend,” real or imagined! Be sure to establish a thesis in your intro- ductory paragraph. Describe the course content in your second paragraph. In your third paragraph, comment on various specifics about how the course is managed and taught. In your final paragraph, comment on your expectations, hopes, fears, etc., regarding the course, and offer a conclusion. Re- member: grammar, spelling, and punctuation will be considered in the grading of your essay-letter. You have 10 minutes to write 1 to 1-1/2 pages.

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Norman G. Raiford, Instructor, History

For further information, contact the author at Greenville Technical College, P.O. Box 5616, Station B, Greenville, SC 29606.

Suanne D. Roueche, Editor

February 1, 1991, Vol. Xill, No. 3

©The University of Texas at Austin, 1991 Further duplication is permitted by MEMBER institutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),

EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsor- tium members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer. ISSN 0199-106X.

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