Sometimes student writing is discouraging. How can I get better papers?
1) Get help from a peer tutor in pushing students beyond Google to do research. To supplement Ms. Phillips’ introduction to library research tools, ask a student who has already taken your class to come in and give a quick talk from the student perspective about how useful the library tools can be. 2) Take another look at how your assignments are designed. Often students struggle with assignments because they do not understand the expectations or simply do not know the standard forms of writing in a new context. Be sure the assignment specifies the audience (possibly a hypothetical audience), the role of the writer, the purpose for writing, and the kind of document to write. If you do not provide a model, consider referring students to the Writing Lab or its website for models of formats, for example, a memo. We can work with you to provide an appropriate model. For more information on effective assignment design, see the following sites: o http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/Bulletin/
