A Comparison of a Progression of Writing Competencies in Online Undergraduate and Graduate Courses: Results and Implications

Project Innovation, Inc. P.O. Box 8508 Spring Hill Station, Mobile, AL 36689-0508. Tel: 251-343-1878; Fax: 251-343-1878; Web site: http://www.projectinnovation.biz/csj.html

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10

Comparative Analysis; Writing Skills; Skill Development; Online Courses; Undergraduate Students; Graduate Students; Content Analysis; State Universities; Community Colleges

0146-3934

Students in undergraduate and graduate programs offered by community colleges, universities, and colleges of education are generally expected to have basic writing competencies at the outset of their studies based on completion of a high school curriculum and core college composition classes. With more programs and courses online or having a hybrid delivery with both traditional classes and platforms like Moodle or Blackboard, students' writing abilities become magnified in digital submissions. This paper addresses the results of a content analysis of three courses across undergraduate and graduate program areas at a rural Southern state university and a nearby community college. The community college is open admissions, and the university has modest entrance requirements for undergraduate and graduate students. Based on the results of this study, the authors identified areas of writing strengths and deficiencies and propose approaches to remediate or improve writing skills, critical for both academic and later professional success. The authors agree that proactively addressing writing deficiencies leads to overall better performance in classes and improved student morale.

As Provided

28

2016

EJ1121627