Topic: Expectations of Writing in College

Question: What are students’ expectations of writing in college and how do these expectations differ from those of college teachers?

Answer: “Survey of professors and students indicated that a majority of faculty prefer concise, less formal writing, though students believe that professors prefer wordy, complex and formal prose.” M Schwartz, 1984, 419.

Comment: I’m laughing because that is exactly what I thought professors wanted when I was in college. No wonder I didn’t receive many comments on my papers. I probably filled them with so much gobbledygook that they were incomprehensible. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English.” RK Durst and JD Marshall. Research in the Teaching of English (December 1984), 417-438.