Molly Swetnam Burland (William and Mary College)
Students transferring to four-year institutions from two-year colleges (the “new traditional” adult student) face distinct challenges: they are expected, in a time that for many is an intense and sometimes alienating social experience, to be able to do research and write at a high level, often facing a type of research assignment they have never seen before. I will discuss some strategies for using low-stakes assignments to help model, at small scale, the process of writing academic papers. I focus on two different levels of courses I have taught: a lower-division course on Roman Civilization and an advanced topics class on the Roman Family. In my experience, helping transfer students succeed at academic writing begins with conversation. One strategy I employ in both classes, though with different expectations, is to begin with free-writing exercises that lead to small group discussions. Students compare notes, and together write up a more formal response. This process models good writing and reduces anxiety by offering early feedback on the quality and expression of ideas. I follow this with a more formal, but still low stakes, assignment in which I provide a small portfolio of sources that speak to a similar – but not identical – issues encountered in the discussions. Finally, I set students up to select their own topics and write about them, by teaching practical research skills and returning students to their groups periodically to talk about their progress on the project. I have found that modelling like this means that my students are not only better prepared to write formally, but less anxious and more excited to do so, feeling secure in both process and product before taking on the challenge of a term paper.