Writing Help: Teaching Writing

From the Harvard Writing Project, download these free guides to responding effectively to student writing and designing essay assignments.

Answers to writing instructors' common questions.

Gary Troia from Michigan State.

RMIT University has excellent self-guided tutorials for undergraduate and graduate student writers.

"Designing Assignments and Presenting them to Students," by Margaret Proctor at the University of Toronto.

Get your students writing more often in your discipline. It improves depth of learning. Here are several examples of low-stakes writing assignments for students.

This guide from Carnegie Mellon University includes sample rubrics from a range of disciplines and writing genres.

Excellent strategies for dealing with a large marking load.

Peer grading and peer feedback often fail, especially in larger classes, because they aren't set up properly. Check out this well-organized resource from Washington University in St. Louis.

What to do and how to get help.

What to do and how to get help.

Published in May 2023. A free book (PDF) with detailed advice for educators and administrators regarding GenAI and how it impacts instruction and institutional policy.

Academic integrity expert Sarah Eaton explains the risks and potential harms of using artificial intelligence detection tools. She provides a set of guidelines for the ethical use of artificial intelligence detectors.

Example class policies.

The Sentient Syllabus Project is a "public-good collaborative to enrich the discussion and create practical resources as we transit into an era of digital thought."

Compiled by the Writing Across the Curriculum Clearinghouse, a wealth of resources, including ideas for assignment design and engaging students.

Review article. Opportunities for teaching and learning; current applications and research; and key risks and challenges associated with large language models. Includes a detailed discussion of ethical considerations, including copyright, data privacy, tool bias, and user over-reliance.

This paper presents "a set of recommendations with the aim of supporting academics, researchers and other educational stakeholders, including students’ organisations, on the ethical use of AI tools." - Published May 1, 2023.

"This Quick Start Guide introduces ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that has taken the world by storm, reaching 100 million users just two months after being launched. The Quick Start Guide provides an overview of how ChatGPT works and explains how it can be used in higher education. The Quick Start Guide raises some of the main challenges and ethical implications of AI in higher education and offers practical steps that higher education institutions can take.This Quick Start Guide was published in April 2023. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing field. This guide is based on GPT-3.5, the latest free version of ChatGPT available at the time of writing. As well as dynamic changes in technology, the ethical implications of ChatGPT and other forms of AI are also swiftly advancing. Readers are advised to constantly check reliable sources for the latest news and updates."

from Boston University

an article by Jeffrey Schinske and Kimberly Tanner, Department of Biology, Da Anza College

A free book from Asao B. Inoue, University of Colorado.

Your first stop when preparing to teach a writing-intensive course.

A collection of excellent, research based advice on teaching writing. Examples: "Using Writing in Large Classes," "Tips on Grading: Using Rubrics," "Managing the Paper Load," and "Peer Review."

Includes lists of tips on managing the marking load and motivating students.