Course: Writing for the Sciences (English 312)
Faculty: Edward H. Burtt, Jr., Professor of Zoology
Librarian: Paul Burnam, Librarian and Science Liaison
PROPOSAL
Roughly a third of our science students enter graduate school within one to three years after graduation. Most of these anticipate professional careers as research scientists. Success as a scientists depends increasingly on the ability to access information electronically and use the information to communicate effectively. English 312 (Writing for the Sciences), which is taught by Burtt, has helped Ohio Wesleyan science students develop communication skills, but will now undertake to help them develop the equally vital skills needed to locate information within the rich maze that is the internet. To accomplish this goal I will work with Paul Burnam to develop my own knowledge and a number of presentations and exercises for class in the fall of 2001.
Internet: pro and con of websites and other sources. - Many students are able to search the internet for information, but use the information they find without consideration of its source or reliability. I propose to develop several exercises that will illustrate both the value of the internet as a source of information and the need to verify material found on the internet. These exercises will occur early in the course (see Appendix). The exercises will be designed to illustrate inaccuracies on the internet and the existence of unsubstantiated opinion as well as peer-reviewed, scientifically reliable information. Students will also be asked to keep and submit a log of the steps they used to locate information. This should help them understand the importance of language in defining the key concepts and words needed to successfully locate information.
Locating bibliographic sources. - The scientific literature is vast and expanding rapidly. Electronic search engines offer the only feasible method for locating specific references within this vast resource. I will design exercises that require students to search several indices (e.g., Biosis, Indicus Medicus). The exercises will emphasize the extent and importance of the library facilities at the Five Colleges of Ohio by requiring students to search the internet for reference materials and then locate the material in one of the libraries, obtain the original or a copy, and prepare a summary of the process of locating and obtaining a copy and a summary of the material itself. As in the preceding exercise students will be asked to submit a log of the process that lead to the reference material. This will be used as a basis for discussion of how to search efficiently with maximal chance of success.
Exercises on locating resources. - The class meets for three hours on Monday afternoons. I would like to design a series of short assignments on information literacy to be done in class. These would be presented as competitions that will provide needed breaks from the usual lecture/discussion format. Early in the semester the class will be divided into groups that will collaborate to help each other develop their writing and editorial skills. The short assignments (~20 minutes) would be introduced during two or three classes (see Appendix) following the class in which internet searches are the focus of class discussion. The writing groups would be given an assignment that requires searching the internet. Criteria for judging the results would have to be developed and the team that best meets the criteria would be awarded a prize. I have used a similar technique to encourage ornithology students to learn identification of birds and have found that students become quite enthusiastic about learning. As a teacher I also enjoy some separation of the learning and grading processes.
To provide for the time and flexibility in scheduling such competitions will require, I am planning to meet the class in the library so that we can pause for twenty minutes to have an activity that will involve students in using the library computers or personal computers in the library computer lab. Meeting the class in the library will also emphasize to the students who come to the course from all scientific disciplines that information literacy and communication skills are the focus of the course, not their scientific disciplines. I have received approval to use the green room throughout the semester.
Plagiarism. - Paul Burnam presented a very fine program on plagiarism to the faculty. I plan to work with Paul to develop a similar program for presentation to the students. They need to be aware of how to cite internet sources and the extent to which they can quote. They also need to be aware of plagiarism on the internet itself and how to avoid compromising their own work by using such material. I plan to develop a program in collaboration with Paul and to conclude the program with a discussion of the ethics of peer-review of manuscripts and grants as well as the problem of auto-plagerism, which is the use of your own published words in another paper.
Locating foundations. - Grants are essential to successful research in most areas of science, therefore locating appropriate sources of funding is vital to a successful career. The class will meet with Karen Crosman, the University development officer who advises faculty on grantsmanship. We will add to the existing class (see Appendix) an exercise on locating foundation websites on the internet. I will also add a later competition on locating foundations to reinforce the class presented by Ms. Crosman and myself.
Construction of website, electronic publishing. - During the summer I will be learning about these processes. I plan to develop a website for my NSF grant and will work together with members of information systems to learn how to do this. I am in the final stages of editing laboratory exercises for "publication" of a Laboratory Manual of Ornithology on the internet, hosted by the Wilson Ornithological Society and the Smithsonian Institution. The Manual will be translated into Spanish under terms of a grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Both of these activities will teach me about additional dimensions of information literacy and will enable me to develop presentations to the class. I will explore with Paul Burnam the possibility of developing interactive exercises in both areas.
Appendix: Tentative syllabus illustrating in boldface type where and how information literacy might be integrated into Writing for the Sciences (English 312).
| Writing for the Sciences | Autumn |
| English 312 | 2001 |
SYLLABUS
TEXTS:
Bowen, M. E. and B. R. Schneller (eds.). 1991. Writing about Science. Oxford University Press, N.Y.
Day, R. A. 1998. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. Oryx Press, New York.
Locke, L. F., W. W. Spirduso, and S. J. Silverman. 1993. Proposals that work. Sage Publications,
Newbury Park, California.
| DATE | TOPIC | READING ASSIGNMENT | WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT |
| Aug. 23 | Overview of technical communication compare technical and evocative writing learn to work in writing groups discuss qualities of career possibilities resume writing | Bowen: Watson, 140; Watson and Crick 356 Day: Chap. 1-3 | revise class essay (due 25 Aug.) choose topic, data source, tech. advisor, journal (due 30 Aug.) |
| Aug. 30 | Revise resume in writing groups. Audience analysis analysis of selected article (bring photocopy of article to class) write audience profile, revise in writing groups Overview of pre-writing brainstorm topics in writing groups | Day: Chap 27, 28, 29 Appendix 4 | final resume (due 1 Sep.) revise audience analysis (due 1 Sep.) prepare time-line for scientific paper (due 6 Sep.) organize brainstorming into categories (due 6 Sep.) |
| Sep. 6 | Information gathering (Beeghly Library, rm 27) Guests: Paul Burnham Danielle Clarke review of library resources catalogs computerized searches scientific abstracting services internet search engines reliability of the internet | Day: Chap 12 | reference list in format of journal to which you will submit article (due 13 Sep.) |
| Sep. 13 | Organizing methods of development overview of types of outlines, conventions overview of methods of evelopment | Bowen: Russell, 50; Darwin, 222; Huxley, 248; Gould, 101; Jefferson, 183; Day, Chap. 4-11 | mark each section of sentence outline with plans for development (due 20 Sep.) write first draft (bring to class 20 Sep.) |
| Sep. 20 | Revision, editing overview of revision process overview of publication process Online publishing competition to locate an obscure article writing groups to read and edit papers | Day: Chap. 15-19 | conferences for trouble-shooting on papers |
| Sep. 27 | Tables and illustrations competition to locate information on obscure topic Plagiarism and the internet | Day: Chap. 13, 14 | |
| Oct. 4 | Proposals overview of proposal writing flow charts evaluate existing proposal | interview successful grant writer submit time-line on proposal writing (due 18 Oct.) | |
| Oct. 11 | no class | ||
| Oct. 18 | Proposals Guest: Karen Crosman, Ohio Wesleyan grants officer career of technical communicator a day in the grants office Locating sources of funding on the internet | ||
| Oct. 25 | Grant writing Reviews Short reports comparison of types of short reports, bring a piece of equipment to class, write instructions, evaluate in writing groups competition to locate funding sources | grant is funded; draft memos to university for equipment purchases, lab management, etc. (revise, due 27 Oct.) revised instructions due 1 Nov. | |
| Nov. 1 | Oral report or poster abstracts review preparation, audience analysis, brainstorming, organize and identify support materials extemporaneous presentations to writing groups | prepare oral report and poster (due 8 Nov.) | |
| Nov. 8 | Final oral reports/Poster presentations | ||
| Nov. 15 | Final oral reports/Poster presentations | ||
| Nov. 29 | Popular scientific writing audience analysis reading level secondary sources, what is lost in translation Websites | wen: Tinkler, 95; time line on Crick, 28; Gamow, 57; Gould, 101; Wiener 161; Carson, 153 | popular article (due 6 Dec.) comparison of editorial and news report (due 6 Dec.) |
| Dec. 8 | Popular scientific writing revision in writing groups Guest: Tom Burns (writes astronomy column the Columbus Dispatch) |