Faculty Tools for Writing Instruction

Electronic Commenting

Many teachers have started responding to student work electronically by inserting text or audio files into electronic copies of student papers. The "Comment" and "Track Changes" functions in Microsoft Word is the most prevalent method for such commenting. While there are more powerful programs written specifically for electronic commenting, they do not have the advantage of widespread familiarity and platform neutrality. One advantage of electronic commenting is that it eases the logistics of writing courses that employ drafts and peer response.

For specifics on how to use the "Comment" and "Track Changes" functions in Microsoft Word, see Paul Miller's handout, Electronic Response in Word for Windows (PDF). For Mac users, Electronic Response in Word for Mac Users (PDF).

Reference

The Voice of the Shuttle is an outstanding resource. It catalogs a wide variety of web reference resources, including guides to critical thinking and argument, style and grammar guides, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses, quotation collections and more.

Internet Public Library Collection of Research Sites by Subject

Here is an annotated collection of high quality Internet resources selected for their usefulness in providing accurate, factual information on a particular topic or topics.

Courses on Writing and Technology

The best way to find courses in your particular areas of interest is by using keywords on a syllabus database. The database with the widest coverage of writing and technology is the Syllabus Finder at the Center for History and New Media. The keyword "hypertext" returns 6230 syllabi, so you are able to narrow searches with multiple keywords and still find many courses.

The World Lecture Hall has less extensive coverage.