Essays concerning the history of WAC, WAC principles, research on students and classrooms, research on writing in the disciplines.

from the publisher's Website: This foundational volume examines the potential of electronic portfolios: * Rationales for creating an electronic portfolio * Features * Examples of current practice * Cautions * Recommendations Chapters by 19 portfolio practitioners from a range of disciplines and institutions describe the constructing of electronic portfolios: * By students to display and reflect on work for a specific course or program * By faculty to document and reflect on their classroom practice and allow comment by colleagues or others * By institutions to demonstrate accountability to their stakeholders and as a vehicle for institution-wide reflection, learning, and improvement

This edited collection provides 17 essays about assessing writing. The essays share some common assumptions: that there are differences between grading and evaluation; that we need to connect teaching and evaluation; that we need to continually reexamine the assumptions and practices that guide our evaluation of student writing.

Condon and Hamp-Lyons conducted a study of how readers of assessment portfolios at U of Michigan handle the cognitive task of reading and evaluating student portfolios. Their research led them to identify and critically examine five common assumptions about portfolio-bases assessments and to conclude that PBAs offer increased accuracy only as a result of the approach that is taken by faculty and programs to the task of portfolio assessment, rather than as quality that is inherent to PBAs. The authors suggest that further research may reveal whether PBAs are more accurate tools for assessment than a holistically evaluated timed writing, but that PBAs offer such a range of additional benefits, including faculty development, pedagogical benefits, that they are nevertheless worth using.

Abstract: Kincead illustrates how assessment “can help students, teachers, and administrators in writing across the curriculum (WAC) programs learn about what they are doing well and about how they might do better.” (ERIC)

“Noting that the term ‘assessment; sounds formal and institutional and frequently generates fear and anxiety, this [essay is taken from a book which] presents 14 essays that demonstrate that assessment can help students, teachers, and administrators in writing across the curriculum (WAC) programs learn about what they are doing well and about how they might do better.” Morgan’s essay “discusses more formal efforts to access WAC.” (ERIC)

“Intended for college faculty in all disciplines, this guidebook offers practical methods and ideas intended to help teachers clarify writing assignments so that students' writing will improve, as has been seen to happen when teachers sharpen their responses to students' papers. Contents include: (1) "Assigning Writing," which describes ways of designing effective assignments including journals and ungraded writing, provides 17 suggestions for making and presenting writing assignments, and includes a checklist for evaluating assignments; (2) "Assignments That Work," which consists of a collection of writing assignments developed by instructors in various fields, including agricultural engineering, American studies, biology, chemistry, counseling, and criminal justice; (3) "Essay Examinations," which discusses how to write effective essay questions and how to help students write better exams; (4) "Strategies for Helping Students," which includes guidelines on brainstorming, research, and planning, drafting and revising, as well as a writer's checklist; (5) "Integrating Reading and Writing," which examines anticipation guides, selective reading guides, graphic organizers, vocabulary previews, and student journals; and (6) "Evaluating Students' Writing," which covers pre-evaluation, evaluation, paper marking, scores and scoring guides, and post-evaluation. (Eleven references are included, and appended are a sample of on-the-job writing tasks for professionals, a sample accounting assignment, and a techniques inventory for assigning writing and reading in the disciplines.)” (ERIC)

Orr suggests that teachers end their classes with a one-minute, anonymous writing on what each student thinks the "point" of the class was, and what they were confused about. This is instant feedback for the teacher, and gives shy or uncertain students a space to ask questions.

Surveys recent developments in writing assessment within the context of the assessment field as a whole. Includes practical examples, applications, and teaching tips.

Divided into four sections -- theory and power, pedagogy, teaching and professional development, and technology -- this collection offers a comprehensive treatment of the uses of portfolios to support the teaching, learning, and assessment of writing.

A collection that traces the development of the writing across the curriculum program at Michigan Technological University in the 1970s and 1980s.