Assigning and Assessing Student Writing Panel – TODAY, 12:30, OGC 100

submitted by kilgorem@augsburg.edu

Assigning and Assessing Student Writing: Panel Discussion
Monday, November 13
12:30-1:40pm
OGC 100

This panel, composed of faculty and staff, will discuss specific strategies for devising, integrating, and assessing writing assignments. Topics discussed will be:

– Writing within STEM Disciplines: Writing plays a significant role in STEM curriculum; it makes students career-ready because writing is a big part of any profession, but, more importantly, it helps them organize thoughts and clarify thinking. Michael Wentzel will discuss strategies for scaffolding lab report writing in science classes.

– Writing in Blended Learning: Students in hybrid and online courses sometimes complain that online forum discussions are boring and repetitive “busywork.” Bonnie Tensen will discuss strategies for varying assignment writing prompts that encourage students to think more critically about assigned texts and take greater ownership of the conversation.

– Effective and Efficient Feedback: Grading student writing can be time-consuming, so it is important to be strategic and provide feedback that helps students recognize areas of strength as well as ways to improve without overwhelming them or you. John Schmit will discuss how to streamline your grading while simultaneously providing valuable feedback.

– Responding to Writing from Non-Native Speakers of English: Although native speakers of English also have problems with writing, non-native speakers’ problems can be quite different, and the approach taken by the instructor needs to be different as well. Cari Maguire will provide suggestions for how to recognize and respond to typical writing problems for ESL students.