Teaching Writing in College Chemistry

A Practical Bibliography 1980- 1990

Nancy Patterson Shires East Carolina University, Joyner Library, Reference Dept., Greenville, NC 27858

This annotated bibliography is designed to aid college chemistry faculty interested i n teaching writing skills in their classrooms. Emphasis is placed on practical ideas that can b e used or modified. A supplementary section lists sources that faculty m a y want t o have in their own libraries.

Atkinson, G. F. "Writing among Other Skills"; J. Chem. Educ. 1986,63,337-338. In a second-year course for majors, instrumental methods of analysis, students write a 10-to-15-p paper that counts 25%of their grade. They submit two copies, one for an essay grading service of the university and one for the chemistry department. Nanmajors use a lab period to write reports a t the library.

Bailey, D.; Markowicz, L. "Chemistry and English: A New Bond"; J. Chem. Edue. 1983.60, 467-468. A chemistry professor and En- glish professor combined efforts in instrumental analysis laboratory to improve lab reports. First they identified common problems, such as appropriate use of scientific words and phrases. Both instructors graded each report before a final grade was assigned. The total - invnswn into clnsr rime arnounred tu ahout twoclass peritrd.i.

llurkett, h.; lhnkle, S. "'l'rehniral \Vritin(: in rhe ilndrrgraduate Corrirulum": J. Chem. Edur. 1983.60, 469-470. Chemratrv facultv

~ . . fail to recognize the limitations of traditional freshman coiposition courses and are too willing to accept poorly written assignments. Students have difficulty searching the literature, avoiding plagia- rism, synthesizing infonnation, and revising. Faculty must provide options to improve writing, such as instituting peer review or using the Writing Center like an industrial consulting firm.

Fedler, C. B.; Gregory, J. M. "The Information Matrix: Taking the Trouble Out of Technical Writing"; Eng. Edue. 1988. 78, 183- 185. An organizational plan called the information matrix assists students in preparing technical papers. The matrix has three com- ponents in eaeh of three horizontal rows. Reading the rows horizon- tally and then vertically, students andinstructors can check toseeif necessary information has been included.

Foos, K. M. "Abstracts Can Enhance Writing Skills"; J. Coll. Sci. Teoch. 1987,16,254-255. Students write annotated abstracts based on readine scientific iournals. They learn critical thinking and writ- ing skills and become acquaintedwith the literature. he abstract has three parts: citation, description of contents, and analysis.

Goodman, W. D.; Bean, J. "A Chemistry Laboratory Project To Develop Thinking and Writing Skills"; J. Chem. Educ. 1983, 60, 483-485. The Ester Project requires students to investigate the synthesis of diphatie esters and present their research as a profes- sional paper. The students judge eaeh paper according to criteria developed by the students, instructor, and composition specialists. The best papers are published in-house.

Horton, P. B.; Frank, R.; Walton, R. "The Effect of Writing Assignments in General College Chemistry"; J. Res. Sci. Teoch. 1985,22,535-541. An experimental group of students was required to write summaries, which were graded for content and writing, of eight class lectures. On the posttest this group scored significantly hkher than the control group.

Hudgins, R. R. "Tips on Teaching Report Writing"; Chem. Eng. Educ. 1987,21(3), 130-132. Proposes using a more considered ap- proach to writing and evaluating reports instead of writing more reports. Hudgins condenses style guidelines toone page and uses the Fog Index as an amusing way to teach basic concepts. He uses a checklist to grade consistently and grades form and content sepa- rately.

Madigan, C. "Writing as a Means, Not an End"; J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 1987.16.245-249. Students are asked to write n o n s t o ~ for 3 . . min nhour n pnhlem, propuse sdutions, and chmse a solutrm To prevent paper werlmd, the insrrurror responds t u the uritmg hut does nut nsrrgn grades: respunda srlecrivel~ and spreads the hurdm

Malachowski, M. R. "The Use of Journals To Enhance Chemical Understanding in a Liberal Arts Chemistry Class"; J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 439440. The journal assigned had four parts: scientific observations outside class, in-class prompts, observations and anal- yses of class experiments, and responses to other students' writing. It counted 25% of the grade and was judged for number and length of entries, detail, and kind and amount of insight. Examples of suitable tnnica are -iven. . - -. -- - - -. . - . . .

Meislich, E. K. "Requiring Good Writing in Chemistry Courses"; J. Chem. Edue. 1987,64,505-506. On every exam Meislichincludes a t least one question requiring written response. To get credit, students must write in suitable English. They have the opportunity to rewrite unacceptable responses and to receive help from a writing instructor. Meislieh provides the writing instructor with the exam and correct answer. .. ~ . . ~ ~~~ ~~

Me1hado.L. "Technical Writing and theChemiral Liwrature"; J. Coll.Srr. Teach. 1981, 10,229-301.Chemistry 199at the L'nirwsir). of Illinois is a one-remester, 3-h multidisciplinary elective spt up around a core of 19 writing assignments, which include regular writing, term papers, indaas writing, short answers, and revisions.

Anon. "Mrthods of Teaching Chemistry Studenta M'rrting Skills Aired": Chcm. E n e News 1985. W381, 32-33. OCLA formerly uf- fered & Enelish Gurse to teach &al&ical omer writine and re- ~~~~~~ ~ . .

chemistry a tudent~ to write about chemistry. It then devel- oped an English course taught by chemist^. Rocheater Inrtitute of Technolay. in9ullled a writing proficirncy rpqulrement. At \V:lten- berg University, a chemistry professor requires term papers and armplilies thr rask of evaluating by quick readings.

Mos~, A,: Holder. C. Irnprorinr Sludenr Il'nting: A Guidebook for Furultv i n All Disri~linrs. California Scare Polstechnie. Pomo- ;a. 1988. isc cusses e o m k n &ncerns. such as how t% evaluate essav - ~ ~ ~ . - ~ ~ ~ ~

questions, and includes a journal assignment for s lower division chemistry course, with directions for making the assignment and a sample of a correct journal entry.

Olmstead, J. "Teaching Varied Writing Styles in the Upper Divi- sion Laboratory"; J. Chem. Edue. 1984, 61, 798-800. In the last required lab course students do a sequence of eight one-week experi- ments and a four-week individual project. For the experiments they write a detailed nrocedure. detailed discussion, technical report, detailed abstract; popular science report, short ahstract, research pnqwral, and journal article. Fur the projpcr they write a propused pnwdure, annotated hilrliography, oral report, and journal-style report.

Oreovicz, F. "A Writing Instructor's Best Friend: The Word Processor"; Eng. Edue. 1983, 73, 376-378. In a junior-senior lab sequence the author found word processors useful in preparing examples, lectures, handouts; reviewing drafts, questions; canduct- ing tutorial sessions, student conferences; and fallowing a student's progress. He was able to transfer examples from his file to a stu- dent's file.

Powell, A. "A Chemist's View of Writing, Reading, and Think- ing"; Coll. Comp. Comm. 1985,36,1&18. In a two-semester organic ehemistry sequence students abstract three to five journal articles and exchange abstracts with peers for comment. They also write 2- 3-p concept papers and 5-8-p project papers and keep lecture and lab notehooks, which are revised or reviewed but not graded. The author suggests writing assignments for general, physical, and other chemistry courses.

Pyle, J.; Trammel, G. "Contemporary Chemical Essays: Dealing with the Writing Problem in a Freshman Chemistry Course"; J. Chem. Edue. 1982,59, 959-960. The essay is 3-5 pp, original, in- cludes library research, contains student's own conclusions, and must he written in acceptable English. I t counts 5% of the grade, which is sufficient incentive. T o ~ i c s are based on assimed readings of the literature, but the assignment needs to he distinct from lab and class. of evaluation, perhaps using peer response.

494 Journal of Chemical Education

Robinson, P. ''Technical Writing Workshops: An Alternative to Lectures"; Eng. Educ. 1983, 73, 314-315. A three-credit course in workshop fonnat was found to be nonthreatening, short, and prac- tice-oriented. Students were confronted with a problem and asked to determine audience and propose answers. The instructor then discussed the problem and made a formal writing assignment.

Rosenthal, L. "Writing across the Curriculum: Chemistry Lab Reports"; J. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 996-998. A model for use in junior-level physical chemistry. Instructors must he aware of the cognitive level of any writing assignment. The medium ievel-clas- sifying, summarizing, eomparinglcontrasting-is where college stu- dentsneed practice.

Roundy, N. "Team-Teaching Technical Writing"; Eng. Edue. 1982. 72. 39.S396. The English Deosrtment offered a 2-h comoo neniduiine the first seme&r of the iunior war and a 1-h combo-

lab and an English professor. Sherman, L. R. "Using the Chemical Literature To Write an

Interesting Term Paper''; J. Chem. Edue. 1988.65.993-994, At the end of the first semester of a two-semester course in lnaresnic. .. . organic, and 1,iochemrutry. each student arlrrrs an artirlc in a c w rrnr juurnal ana ohtarns a reprint to attach rn the term paper. l ' h r paper ha* rhrec parts: barkgrwnd. 2J.i words; reviru, " i l nurds; and upinion. Grading timr required: nhwt themmeasanepiav resr.

Skerl, .I. "A \\'rirlnp. Center ior Enginerring .jtodenti"; I.:nc. >.'due. 1980, 70. -hZ-?%. The W~iring (:enter srrws bnswallv os a tutoring service, with the director acting as a consultant for f&lty in designing assignments, instructional guides, and model reports; in advisine ahout teachine technioues: and in eivine euest lectures. ,. ~ . . .. ,...

Snrll, L. "'I'enching hlemo and Lertrr \ \ ' r~t i t~y 'Cwhniqurs in the Clascn~m"; En& Educ 1990. RO, 4hl-48'2 In n sophumore c w r s r Snell dirrcts rtudrnrs 11, solst a prohlem dnd crrtiquea r h w work. Most common problems: inappropriate material, writing to impress, omitting conclusions, writing obscurely, poor English, and sloppi- ness.

Steiner, R. "Chemistry and the Written Word", J. Chem. Edue. 1982, 59, 1044. For the last third of an organic course, Steiner required 1-p lecture summaries showing key points and their rela- tionships. After writing six summaries, students toak an exam. Steiner found a positive correlation between summary and exam scores. Commenting on the summaries toak about 2 h each time.

Strauss, M. J.; Fulweiler, T. "Interactive Writing and Learning Chemistry"; J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 1987, 16, 256262. In a first-year course voluntary writing is solicited by exit boxes a t dassmom dwrs for thoughts, questions, and commentaries. The technique encour- aees students to exolore and ouestion. The most common or rele- " "ant auestions are addressed in the next lecture or in handouts

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Swanson, L.; Ahoutwabi, H. "The Technical Memorandum: .An Effective \\'a" of Uwelopmg Technical \Vriling Skillc"; Eny Edue. 1990,80,479480. The 2-4-p memorandum defines a task, specifies goals, outlines solutions, and reports results and conclusions. Its use affera frequent feedback, multiple assignments, less fear than larger paaers, develooment of organizational skills, and little increase in

Thall. E.; Hnvs. (; "Utilizing llngradrd \Vriting in the Chrmi~rry (:lalrruom"; J. Chem. Edur. 1909. Gti, G62dfi;l. Once a wrck 1111-

denta wnrte 10-1:-min respunars rfor example, an nnaloay~ to lnlls and lectures. The instructor commented on responses and provide a model response. Exams included essay questions.

Waterman, M. A,; R ider , J. F. "Use of Scientific Research Re- ports To Develop Higher-level Cognitive Skills"; J. Coll. Sei. Teach. 1982,11,336-340. Graduate students in plant pathology read jour- nal articles and identified the followine: the ouestion: exolanaton,

explanatory material. Woods, D.; Feuerstein, I. "On Teaching Technical Cammunica-

tion"; Eng. Educ. 1980,70,74&749. Engineers taught a two-semes- ter, required course on eammunieatio~. The format that worked best emphasized workshop techniques rather than lectures. They offered a 3-h tutorial once a week far 13 weeks and obtained mean- inrful tooics from facultv and eraduate studenL9. . . ~ ~ . ~ ~ , m~ ~ ~

Yoxthermw.'I'. L."Utilizm~: Shorr \Vriting Assigr~mrnrsinTrch- nical Courses"; In Fruntwre io Educot,un Crmfwrncc, Gmysm, I.. P.; Birdmhach.J., Edr ; IEEE: Nrw York. I!lRfi:pp 1-5. Yoxtheimer assigns eight 1-2-p summaries of journal articles, because the sum- mary form requires all the qualities of goad writing. He finds it necessary to provide students with a guide explaining the summary

form and a guide fur peer evaluatur.. For abrmr I5 min each week. students rriticne rnch other's w o r k A senior class was ardigned eomparisonlmntrast papers.

Supplementary Sectlon

The Professor's Library Cheney, T. A. R. Getting the Words Right; Writer's Digest: Cin-

cinnati, 1983. Stresses how to revise, edit, rewrite. Most important is to revise by reducing number of words; next, by rethinking and rearranging; and last, by rewording. Examples and corrections of student work are included.

Dodd, J. S., Ed. ACS Style Guide; American Chemistry Society: Washington, DC, 1086. Covers all aspects of writing the scientific paper, from what each part of the paper should do to basicpunctua- tion rules.

Blicq, B. E. Technically- Write; Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1986. Includes sections on the field trip report, lab report,

book and academic lab reook with exercises. . ~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . CA. 1966. (;enrml rwhuvk with d~srus,ion questims and enerci3ed at end uf each chnprrr 11dude3 lnlr norchooks and writ~ng ahuut science for nonexperts.

Ebel, H.; Bliefert, C.; Russey, W. The Art ofscientific Writing; VCH: New York, 1987. A general reference manual and basic text with sections on the lab notebook, transforming notehwk entries into reports, describing an experiment, college-level reports, grant proposals, theses, and journal articles.

Fulweiler, T., Ed. The Journal Book; BoyntonICook: Ports- mouth, NH, 1987. Deals with all types of journals a t all grade levels, with 3 :e~.tion on the quantitative dliciplines.

Heffernon. . I . 11. M ., Lmru n. . I . E l l ' r < r<ny , 4 Collegr Hondhoob. Ard ed : Korron: Ncrr Swk. 19'10. A 3tandnrd euidc ra refer toor use - as a teat for college composition.

Houp, K.; Pearsall, T. Reporting Technical Information, 6th ed.; Macmillan: New York, 1988. A general work with sections on in- forming, defining and describing, readable style, the student pro- posal, progress reports, and empirical research reports. Each section includes examples and ends with exercises.

Kanare, H. M. Writing the Laboratory Notebook; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1985. Treats the reasons for notekeeoine. hardware. leeal and ethical concerns. manaeine and " ~~

organizkg ;he notebook, and the electronic notebook. Suggestions for teaching: Appendix A.

Kaln, P.; Kaln, J. Models for Technical Writing; St. Martin's: New York, 1985. Gives checklists for audience analysis, physical descriptions, classifications, definitions, processes, instructions, in- vestigative reports, proposals, feasahility studies, progress reports, and performance reports. Includes questions for discussion and suggestions for writing.

Levin, G. H. The Maemillan College Handbook: Macmillan: New Yark, 1987. General reference guide for looking up quick answers or for use as a text. Covers entire process of writing a college paper.

Madigan, C. "Writing across the Curriculum Resources in Science and Mathematics"; J. Coll. Sei. Teach. 1987,16,250-253. A seiect- ed, annotated bibliography. Works chosen aften include appropri- .. ~

ate writing assignme&: Maimon, E. P.; Belcher, G. L.; Hearn, G. W.; Nadine, B. F.;

O'Connor. F. W. Writins in the Arts and Sciences: Little. Brawn:

review paper. Nadziejka, D. E. "Must Technical Writing = Tough Reading?";

CHEMTECH 1989, 19, 650453. Practical advice on basic matters

of Chemistry to overcome chemists' fear of writing and develop a love of language. Not for quick reference but deals with problems peculiar to chemistry writing in depth.

Trimhle,L. English for Scienceand Technology; Cambridge Uni- versity: New York, 1985. Discusses controlled, semicontrolled, and uncontrolled writing assignments; procedures for making assign- ments; advantages of controlled assignments; and the importance of providing examples.

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