Eric Fowler

I see this subject matter as a matter of life & death in our institutions. As was given to me many a year ago, we tend to write like we speak. I stress to my students the importance of effective communication in both oral and written communication. The tendency to speak in "text" language or "slang" is a negative carry-over in many of the term papers I view on a daily basis. We, as instructors, must convey the importance of well-developed and constructed communications peices. The lack of these formidable skills often show themselves at the collegiate level when they should obviously be caught well in advance.

One of my most horrific situations as an adjunct instructor was having to fail a student who shouldn't have been permitted to be in a collegiate setting. The student was unable to effectively communicate in writting and expected for me to grade her at a curve. I immediately brought this to the attention of my directive and, unfortunately, I received very little support with my decision to fail the student. In fact, it was mentioned that I should have allowed the student to progress.

Michael Colwell

I see this factor quite a bit as well. Many students enter post-secondary education without the basic reading and writing skills they should have recieved in elementary and high school.

Susan Polick

Hi Michael - Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, it is an unfortunate reality that too many students do not graduate high school with the necessary general eduaction skills. We just need to do our best to offer whatever remediation that we can. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan

brian markman

In my industry (pro audio) there is less focus on the written word and even articulate communication despite the constant need to reinforce professionalism at every turn. To combat this, we try to reinforce good habits when we can, encouraging attention to detail when communicating in any medium. This battle is a tough one as text and email take an informal tone that almost discourages sentence structure, grammar and even basic spelling criteria. When able to use examples in audio that have communication parallels, this seems to illuminate some problems and some course-correction usually results.

Susan Polick

Hi Brian, Thanks for your post to the forum. The employers who hire our students emphasize that they want to hire people who can effectively communicate. We try to have those employers come in to speak to our students to make sure they understand this. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan

Dennis Young

Requiring students to write often is crucial in helping them to master the art--and skill--or writing. Essays are the center of my assessment methodology, because they require active learning. Writing is a way of learning and a way of knowing. When we write, we have to be fully engaged with the subject under consideration. Because almost all job requirements list the ability to speak and write well, having students show their abilities with the written word can only help them in the future. Everyone can improve as a writer, but improvement comes with practice and dedication. Helping student overcome their fear (and often distaste) of writing can go a long way to helping them in their professional life. I believe an essay or short answer component to assessment can occur in almost any field of study.

Susan Polick

Hi Dennis, Thanks for sharing a very thorough explaination of the importance of writing skills! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan

Susan Polick