Eric.ed.gov – Writing and Learning across Disciplinary Boundaries in College Math and Science Courses.

In six parts, this research panel report focuses on numerous aspects of an institutionally-supported project in Writing and Problem Solving across Disciplines conducted by four teachers at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon. The report’s first section, “Introduction,” is descriptive and gives some background on the research project. The report’s second section, “Final Report,” describes project activities completed, outlines project research questions, and summarizes findings. In the third section, 10 recommendations based on project findings are discussed. The fourth section presents materials from a presentation, including excerpts from “Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics” and from “Everybody Counts,” and a list of common faculty questions and responses. This section offers 12 writing and group learning assignments used effectively in Contemporary Mathematics for liberal arts students and Calculus courses at the college. The fifth section presents physics lab writing assignments, with a schema for their evaluation, used in a college physics sequence, and includes sample assignments and course materials. The report’s final section presents course descriptions. (SR)