10. Inspiring Writing in the Sciences: An Undergraduate Electronic Journal Project

Most faculty will agree that students must learn to write well (Emerson, MacKay, MacKay, & Funnell, 2006), and in the sciences, a variety of approaches have been taken. In the College of Physical and Engineering Science at the University of Guelph, we have developed a way of embedding research, writing, and analytical skills into an introductory Nanoscience course that gives students the true-to-life experience of writing for publication, ignites their imaginations, and inspires them to do their best. Following the process of scholarly publication, students become researchers, authors, and reviewers for an electronic journal. Through appropriately timed workshops and tutorials, they receive support and feedback. Rubrics for the assessment of the students’ performances as authors and peer reviewers provide them with more insight into what constitutes work that falls below expectations, or meets or exceeds them. These rubrics also enable faculty to evaluate student contributions efficiently and fairly. In this essay, we showcase a suite of pedagogical tools that includes learning activities, open access software and assessment rubrics, and share our experiences of a faculty-librarian collaboration.