Tips from the FHSS Writing Lab

Tips from the FHSS Writing Lab

Better Writing and Less Grading Time

Tired of student papers that were written the night before? Unedited? Unrevised? Rough draft?

Consider the following methods to improve student papers:

·  Require students to bring the rough draft to the FHSS Writing Lab for one-on-one peer tutoring conferences at least 48 hours before the final paper is due.

·  Assign a paper with a minimum page length (such as 10 pages). On the day it is due, tell students that this version constitutes the rough draft and that they must revise it, reduce it to 6 pages and have it peer-reviewed before submitting one week later along with the original 10-page version. Then, grade only the 6-page improved version.

·  Require students to have a minimum of 3 separate drafts of the paper (including the final version) that are significantly improved to show you their writing process. The quality of the students’ papers should increase, reducing the amount of time the instructor should need to spend in grading problem areas on the paper.

·  Assign students to read their own papers out loud to someone else before submitting.