Preparing ESL undergraduates for freshman composition through cooperative learning, collaborative writing, and portfolio grading: a course design rationale and case study

摘要

This thesis describes and examines an experimental ESL composition course that featured cooperative learning and collaborative writing , a course that also involved thematic sequencing of assignments and portfolio grading of students\u27 individual writing. The course was a revised version of Iowa State University\u27s English 101C (Advanced Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English), with the revisions directed toward the attainment of the official course goal of preparing ESL students for the Iowa State First Year Composition Program. The changes in the course enabled 101C students to write assignments modeled on ISU freshman composition assignments--particularly academic and argumentative writing assignments.