Writing in class under a teacher's guidance is one of the best ways for majors to build the specialized vocabulary of the field of study and to learn the conventions and expectations of its written communication. Writing for learning purposes does not require extensive amounts of class time and, because it is intended for students' collection and exploration of ideas, it does not need extensive grading. In this day of instant access to papers on the Internet, an assignment that is course-specific and relatively new provides the best prevention against plagiarism. Assigning students to a specific teaching assistant, who will review their papers, will help, as will explaining the importance of academic integrity. Academic Integrity Group work is one of the teaching strategies encouraged for large classes.
Several types are available, ranging from portfolios to the traditional research paper.
Like all other writing assignments, these projects work best if they reinforce course goals and expectations. Careful crafting of questions and instructions will improve the likelihood of accurate answers. Norming evaluators will increase the consistency of grading. Reminding students of reliable exam-writing strategies will allow them to demonstrate their knowledge of the course work rather than on writing the exam answers. Essays Evaluating writing can be very time consuming.