This paper describes developmental writing paths within a Colombian major in Industrial Engineering. The accounts were created through retrospective descriptions of students' writing experiences collected by a qualitative survey and analyzing writing samples. The study shows that writing throughout the major embraces diverse functions (Writing to learn; Writing to apply content knowledge; Writing to research; Writing to communicate ideas), and traces diverse developmental paths (Writing for innovation; Lab writing; Writing for company analysis; Writing for conducting a senior thesis). This analysis also reveals that different types of problems (improving profits in companies or creating new devices) can be treated through different types of genres (research proposals in companies and projects of innovation), despite the fact that the same label (report) is being used by participants to group writing experiences. One of the writing functions in the major that seems overtly identified by the students is conducting a senior thesis. Since there are other writing functions present across the curriculum, further studies and pedagogical debates with faculty members are necessary to define what writing developmental paths are expected from the students and how many curriculum projects (that include explicit teaching on theories of disciplinary writing and genre knowledge) across the curriculum should be undertaken.

This article discusses the design and evaluation of an intensive writing institute developed for students new to universities and colleges in the United States. In its first year, the program consisted of a hybrid (part online and part onsite) writing-intensive course which offered a brief but focused introduction to the writing and reading strategies necessary for success in U.S. universities and colleges, with an emphasis on reading complex texts like those which the students would encounter in content courses and on writing and revising completed compositions. Cultural differences and institutional expectations were also addressed in the course. Beyond the formal instruction, participating second language writers, all of whom were Chinese, were provided with extracurricular opportunities to interact with their professors in informal situations. Implications for preparing new international students for writing demands in university settings are discussed.

This study employs ethnographic case study method to explore secondary English language learners’ experiences with content-area writing in a U.S. public school setting. Documentary evidence, interviews, and students’ written work comprise the data set. Data are interpreted through a sociocognitive theoretical lens to take into account contextual and individual cognitive factors that come into play in English language learners’ development of content-specific writing. Findings suggest that a combination of institutional factors (e.g. school program design, state regulations, and state assessment systems) in concert with teacher beliefs and expectations of English language learners impact the content-area writing instruction which English language learners receive. This study points to the need for continued investigation of state policies, school processes, and teacher beliefs and practices that may enhance the quality and breadth of writing English language learners experience as they move through secondary school.

Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers (Sixth Edition). Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy (2008) New York & London: Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 682 ISBN-10: 0–13–232003–7

Though sometimes seen as remedial in nature, writing centers have pedagogical missions that are far broader in scope in most educational institutions. This reflection traces both the growth of writing centers since their origins in the early 1900s and their current points of intersection with other writing programs – first year composition, writing across the curriculum, and community literacy initiatives. In spite of the economic and administrative difficulties they will face in the future, writing centers will continue to thrive.