DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

ENG 121: Writing Composition II, or "The Research Essay," is a writing-intensive course that all undergraduates must take. Since the course itself is already a composition course culminating in one high-stakes writing assignment, the 8-10 page research paper, my area of interest is the practical implementation of low stakes writing throughout the semester. In particular, I am asking:

 

  • Are low-stakes writing assignments more effective when students are made privy to the objectives behind the writing prompt? 
  • Is it more helpful when students are made aware of what function the low-stakes writing is meant to have in their learning process?
  • If so, should instructors “debrief” their students on the prompt before, immediately after, or quite some time after the writing experience?

I formulated this question as a way to respond to skepticism about low stakes writing, particularly surrounding the following assumptions: Students will not try as hard when writing "just because," without the prospect of evaluation at the end. Students will not put as much effort into their writing without the promise of receiving feedback at the end. Students will not try as hard without a sense of an external audience they are writing to; in fact, the lack of audience may problematize their high stakes writing elsewhere in the course. 

  

This portfolio includes:

  • An annotated syllabus 
  • Examples of low-stakes writing activities administered in class
  • Samples from an end-of-course Exit Survey where students responded directly to the portofolio question
  • Samples of the final Research Paper which include low-stakes, in-class writing that was edited and polished
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.