It’s like a diet. We need to change the way we think about it before we can make any lasting changes

I’m sure we all are going through this stream of consciousness where in one moment, we think we have the answer and in the next, we are right back where we started again. My interaction with this idea changes by the minute, but I am a problem solver, so I am always thinking about how to “fix” it. Anyway…

The question is whether or not students need a class on how to write in order to learn how to write. No, not necessarily, but they do need feedback and guidance throughout the writing process. The reason FYC is useful to students is because they theoretically should be getting that support.

The problem with the non-writing classes (wp classes included) is that students are expected to know how to write in a specific way already. instructors don’t want to have to “waste” time on the stylistic requirements. The most feedback I ever got in my undergraduate major about my writing was, “This is not APA!” The irony is that I had modeled the paper after a report written in my discipline.

The point is, maybe what needs to change is the idea that these professors shouldn’t have to waste time on developing students’ writing…Angel Morgan