1. Student Writing Problems--
Faculty Challenges & Solutions

2. Student Problem (1)
• Students perform poorly on writing assignments
Symptoms in Writing:
• No development or depth of ideas
• Lack clarity and continuity
• Poor basic writing mechanics

3. Assignment Challenge Checklist (1)
• Do students understand the assignment, including
the essay format (an analysis, proposal, comparison
essay)? Have I explained what that format requires?
• Do students understand disciplinary terms that I use
in instructions (literature review, executive summary,
case analysis)?
• Have I indicated the subtopics or degree of specificity
that I would like students to address?

4. Assignment Challenge Checklist (1)
• Have I explained the intended audience?
• Have I stressed the importance of proofreading
and spell check?
• Have I provided resources and references for
basic writing problems?
• Can the students handle the readings I assigned
to them?

5. Solutions (1)
• Make assignment • Create a discussion
instructions explicit and board conversation
clear, including the addressing and
subtopics, degree of answering student
specificity, and intended questions about larger
audience assignment
• Explain all disciplinary • Consider using drafts to
terms and provide encourage revision
examples

6. Solutions (1)
• Have students post their • Suggest or require E-
thesis statements on the tutoring for students who
discussion board and ask know they need writing
for peer review with a help
focus on argument and • Point students to online
possibility of arguing it resources and style
well under time/ length manuals, for example:
constraints Purdue Owl
• Record and post your
instructions on an audio
file so students can hear
you explaining it

7. Student Problem (2)
• Students unresponsive to assignment
Symptoms in Writing:
• Don’t follow directions
• Address only a portion of assignment
• Off-topic or tangential responses
• Seem disengaged or lacking interest

8. Assignment Challenge (2)
• Are my instructions clear and how do I know?
• When appropriate, is there more than one choice
offered?
• When appropriate, do I allow students to use
media?
• Do I create a space online or face-to-face for
students to ask questions or share ideas?
• Do my instructions suggest a predetermined answer
when I didn’t intend it?

9. Solutions (2)
• Align assignments with • Provide a choice of
readings, activities and assignments, including
learning outcomes for creative assignments,
course such as interviews
• Scaffold the assignment • Include options that use
• Have a forum on media, such as posting
blackboard to allow writing assignments
students to ask onto blogs, video
questions or for narration, including a
discussion photo gallery

10. Student Problem (3)
• Plagiarism
• Poor Use of Quotations
Symptoms in Writing:
• Students are cutting and pasting from the Internet
• Quotations are improperly introduced, cited, and
explained (dropped quotations)
• Citations are wrong or inconsistent to an acceptable
style

11. Assignment Challenge Checklist (3)
• Do my students know how to cite and quote
correctly?
• Does my assignment stress the importance of
citations?
• Is my assignment at an appropriate level for
students who may have never written a research
paper before?
• Are my students focused on matters of content,
rather than attribution?
• Have I explained to my students why plagiarism is
wrong?

12. Assignment Challenge Checklist (3)
• Have I reduced the odds of plagiarism through
efficient design of the assignment?

13. Solutions (3)
• Require students to • Scaffold to break
complete Low Stakes assignment down into
Assignments on how to steps, with explanations
introduce/interpret or that help students along the
“Sandwich” quotes way
• Make sure your • Encourage students to
assignments have proper develop their voice through
instructions for quoting and private reading journals or
citing blogs
• Encourage your students to • Make it clear that you want
use a specific citing style to hear students’ voices
• Provide examples related to • Refer students to CUNY’s
issue plagiarism website and
explain it’s importance

14. Solutions (3)
• Make an assignment • Use drafts to monitor
topic specific; if it is too students’ progress
broad, you are inviting • Make it clear that you
plagiarism want to hear students’
• Require students to voices
incorporate something
discussed in class
discussion

15. Student Problem (4)
• Feedback Issues: Students don’t seem to improve
from assignment to assignment
Symptoms in Writing:
• Students repeat mistakes and cannot identify error
patterns
• Students have consistent problems with the same
assignment for a course you teach in successive
semesters

16. Assignment Challenge Checklist (4)
• Have I provided any positive feedback or words of
encouragement?
• Have I provided clear grading criteria or rubrics for
the assignment?

17. Solutions (4)
• Clearly explain the • Scaffold successive
comments you give drafts for a formal
students. What can paper
they specifically do to • Give students a
write better? What is a reflective assignment
consistent error they assessing their
can fix? progression. Consider
• Ask students to peer using blogs for this
review each other’s purpose
work using a rubric you
supply

18. Solutions (4)
• Provide non-graded • Integrate E-portfolio into
comments through your writing assignments
assignments that are so students can a) see
posted on Blackboard. their writing evolve over
Digital feedback provides time (the semester and
students with time for their academic careers)
deeper reflection and b) put extra effort
into their assignments as
they will want to show
their pages to
classmates/family/friends
/employers

19. Solutions (4)
• Give students • Have students write a
encouragement before cover letter in which they
you critique them. Be can give a ‘soft critique’
careful not to destroy on their own work,
their confidence focusing on strengths and
• Use familiarity when weaknesses
making comments • Provide and refer to
• Recognize students for comprehensive rubrics
improving upon previous and grading criteria
assignments. Encourage
them not to start from
scratch for each draft