Observing student´s syntactic errors and the perceptions towards writing in the composition cours

The aim of this article is to observe the improvement reached by two groups of English majors in order to identify and correct syntactic errors in a series of six academic paragraphs during two semesters in the second-year course LM-1235 English Composition I at the University of Costa Rica. In addition, it presents a sample lesson with the integration of different language skills so that learners will benefit from cooperative learning, authentic input, and a sequence of interactive tasks to improve their outcome, being this the case of an academic paragraph and its outline. Finally, the writer analyzes the resul ts of a survey questionnaire that assesses the learners’ perception towards the challenges of writing

Writing to learn and learning to write across the disciplines: Peer-to-peer writing in introductory-level MOOCs

<p>This study aimed to evaluate how peer-to-peer interactions through writing impact student learning in introductory-level massive open online courses (MOOCs) across disciplines. This article presents the results of a qualitative coding analysis of peer-to-peer interactions in two introductory level MOOCs: English Composition I: Achieving Expertise and Introduction to Chemistry. Results indicate that peer-to-peer interactions in writing through the forums and through peer assessment enhance learner understanding, link to course learning objectives, and generally contribute positively to the learning environment. Moreover, because forum interactions and peer review occur in written form, our research contributes to open distance learning (ODL) scholarship by highlighting the importance of writing to learn as a significant pedagogical practice that should be encouraged more in MOOCs across disciplines.</p>

Aviation Science Students vs. English Composition I

Many composition courses do not fit the specialized requirements of students engaged in professional programs. The author states a case for the publishing of special composition texts and the use of special audiovisual material. A third suggestion deals with the instructor using specific resource books to acquire the vocabulary of the profession itself.