The materials and resources available on the CBA Writing Resources portal are provided to support student learning related to written communication in the College of Business Administration. Faculty and staff in the following departments have contributed content and are working to develop additional resources: Accountancy; Economics; Finance; Finance-Risk, Insurance & Financial Planning Concentration; Information Systems; International Business; Management; and Marketing. If you have suggestions for content or would like to arrange a meeting to discuss writing and learning issues, please contact Bryan Kopp, Writing Programs Coordinator, at bkopp@uwlax.edu or 785-6936. Please direct other questions to TJ Brooks (tbrooks@uwlax.edu), Chair of... Continue reading

In surveys from 2006 to 2010 by Donald L. McCabe, a co-founder of the Center for Academic Integrity and a business professor at Rutgers University, about 40 percent of 14,000 undergraduates admitted to copying a few sentences in written assignments. “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age” Some Strategies The Google Habit. Search your assignment topics on Google to see what is readily available online. Add “free paper” to your search terms. The Gray Areas. Address common misconceptions about plagiarism in course materials and class discussions. Although most students know that submitting someone else’s paper is wrong, they are... Continue reading

Rubrics are assessment tools used to evaluate activities on a predefined set of criteria. They help ensure that activities and items are evaluated fairly and consistently. Rubrics can be created in D2L and this session will show you how to get started. If you have students submit their work electronically using the D2L dropbox (or are considering doing so), the rubrics tool may help you save time on assessment tasks and improve the effectiveness of your feedback. Rubrics in D2L can also be linked to quizzes, discussion boards, and more. Watch a quick video from D2L about the “Rubrics and... Continue reading

Upcoming Event Title: "Better Feedback in Less Time: Using Minimal Marking and Macros to Respond to Student Writing" Dates: Tuesday, October 12, 201011:00 AM - 12:30 PM and Friday, October 22, 20101:00 PM - 2:30 PM Location: Wing 161, UW-La Crosse Presenter: Bryan Kopp, Writing Programs Coordinator Instructor feedback helps students gauge their progress toward course goals, but giving feedback can be time-consuming, particularly in large and multiple-section courses. How can teachers deliver feedback more efficiently, increasing the chances students will actually use it? After reviewing basic commenting strategies, this session will spotlight two techniques that can significantly reduce the... Continue reading

1. Just in Time Assignment HOW: Students complete an assignment outside of class related to key concepts. Students submit answers one day before class. You review answers, look for common patterns of strengths, weaknesses, misconceptions. You use students’ responses to prepare for class. You give feedback in class; you can also post feedback online. WHY: You identify common concerns before teaching. Then instruction can be feedback on what students already know or think about the topic. You use information gleaned from these assignments to determine the appropriate level of challenge for students. 2. Pre-Instruction Test HOW: In class, students take... Continue reading

Note: This is the first in a series of posts that will serve as a guide for teachers who wish to integrate writing into their courses. All posts will be available here. Why use writing assignments? As a teaching tool, writing assignments provide rich information about the degree to which students are achieving course and program goals, information that may be used for assessment as well as teaching improvement. As a learning tool, writing provides opportunities for students to understand key concepts and ideas engage with the subject matter communicate with different audiences use the language of the discipline process... Continue reading