Assignment writing in mainstream courses: getting a better product

Abstract

Principally, University lecturers try to assist students with their writing in two ways: telling them beforehand how a particular piece of writing should look, and, afterwards, giving written feedback. Unfortunately, neither of these practices has significant effects. We know from experience that merely telling students how to write is not sufficient, and research suggests that written feedback, particularly when it is negative, is of limited use. Given- the ineffectiveness of these strategies, and the additional problem of working with large numbers of students, we need to investigate alternative ways of getting a better product from our students.