Business relies heavily on
communication skills used in varying fields of study. Students often lack
fundamental writing skills that can transfer into credibility, effectiveness
and opportunity in the future. According to a 2013 paper by Dr. Carolyn
Sturgeon colleges can do a better job at teaching students higher levels of
written communication skills that can translate into productive projects.
Students often resist courses in
writing and English composition because they view these skills as secondary to
their goals. Similar to the difficulty of getting your teenage children to
throw out the trash these students are not excited about the tedious tasks of
grammar, spelling, formatting, sentence structure, and citations. There is no
denying that such classes are often boring and uninspiring and on the surface appear
to be unnecessary.
Some students may need to complete
5-6 composition courses before effectively moving into their respective fields
of study. There are other students that may not have mastered basic writing in high
school and will need further remedial courses to perform at a college level. High
school graduates who start at a lower rung will naturally need additional time,
money and resources to improve their skills. Poor high school preparation equates
directly to higher college costs.
From the authors experience she has
seen 90% of students avoid thesis writing and move more toward projects. There is a natural avoidance of written work
in classrooms as students lean more heavily on other skills. She suggests that students
should be required to learn writing skills before entering their majors as this
will make them more effective in their programs.
The paper doesn’t move into this
concept but it is possible to see an integration of more writing into
traditional courses. For example, instead of 5-6 composition courses it may be
possible to have 3 compensation courses and integrate graded writing into the
colleges classes. This would require professors to understand the use of
language and provide appropriate direction to students once their English
composition requirements have been fulfilled to ensure they are developing
their grammar, spelling, tense, clarity, formatting, and depth skills.
Furthermore, online education is
more heavily reliant on writing as part of the curriculum. It makes one wonder
if graduating students are stronger at writing from an online institution than those
coming from other types of universities. Students are more likely to be judged on their
individual writing skills than relying on an elite writer of a group assignment
or a few assignments.
Sturgeon, C. (2013). Service
courses: forays to bridge the gulf and invite new “citizens”. CEA Forum, v42 n1 p208-245.
