McGraw-Hill Guide Writing for College, Writing for Life

"It is an exciting time in higher education, especially in rhetoric and composition, where many innovations have defined the field in recent years. In light of current research, theory, and practice in the field, The McGraw-Hill Guide embodies these advances in ways that enrich the learning experiences of students. Elements that run throughout the Guide include: Teaching for transfer, to help students understand how their writing in composition classes will help them in their other college or university classes and in other parts of life Thorough coverage of genre, with examples and illustrations A focus on rhetorical purpose-using writing to get things done in the world Assignments that encourage students to use 21st-century digital technologies for crafting multimodal projects Flexible assignments that encourage students to focus on writing in any realm of life-academic, professional, civic, or personal Updated citation conventions used in the MLA Handbook, 8th edition Up-to-date sample student projects with examples from their invention work through peer review to finished academic essays Questions and guidance that help students to respond thoughtfully to peers work- and to reflect critically on their own. The national consensus among educators is that students succeed best when they are guided by outcomes and approach their assignments from a goals-based perspective. This is true for a wide range of faculty, whether full or part time, new or experienced: knowing and working with specific goals and objectives helps students to achieve those goals. We have structured The McGraw-Hill Guide to help students set goals for their writing, use effective composing strategies to achieve those goals, and assess their progress toward achieving them. The student writing goals in The McGraw-Hill Guide are drawn from the learning outcomes established by the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) because we know how important they have been in shaping discussions about writing curricula. These learning outcomes demonstrate the value of the full range of knowledge sets and skills that writers need to develop, which include rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, reading and composing; processes; and knowledge of conventions. The current version of the CWPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition-Version 3.0-emphasizes that digital tools are integral to a wide range of composing activities. As a result, they appear throughout the statement and throughout The McGraw-Hill Guide. When Duane was president of the Council of Writing Programs Administrators, he charged a task force to consider the role of digital technologies and visual tools in writing. The stellar work of that task force is reflected in the current version of the CWPA Outcomes Statement"--