Research Writer Interview With Erika

In today’s world of hand-held technology and rising rates of online class assignments, many students are turning to the internet for examples of papers that Professors cannot give them. When first learning MLA in high school, looking at the Perdue website was one of the most helpful tools for me to make sure what the teacher wanted was being done correctly. Students today are relying more and more on visual aids for learning and being able to see an example of a so called “good” paper in front of them can spark ideas instead of create confusion. The hardest part of writing a paper, I have found, is the organizational part because most students know what it is they want to say but have no idea how to formulate it into a coherent paper that is worthy of a decent grade. The thought of having to analyze a piece of literature for more than just surface content is a daunting one for some, especially those who happen to be science or math majors. These students just are not required to have the same writing and communication skills as others and tend to be intimidated by or do not have the time to dedicate to learning the skills needed to do papers on their own.

The second thing that seems to scare students away from writing is the research end of things, requirements are very demanding and if one little thing is wrong then the entire citation is wrong. The idea of having to do extensive research on a topic that means nothing to a student can cause even more blatant forms of plagiarism such as the use of Wikipedia and other open ended encyclopedia sites that may not contain even an ounce of true information in them. The new world of media based technology has also made some students lazy and literacy has taken a back burner to math and science/technology because these are the money making waves of future careers that will ultimately put writing in the trash can. Many students also claim to have a hatred for reading which is sad due to the rising rates of illiterate students in high schools over the last few years, if one cannot read then writing becomes much more difficult. For students who have some of these difficulties or do not learn the way some others do, being able to go to a website right at their fingertips and see examples of what they need to do are supposed to look like could help students to do these writing exercises on their own or at least begin to understand the process behind it.

All in all, literacy and paper writing among college students is a growing issue and if there is any way to combat students from handing in garbage I do not see a problem with using those tools. The Humanities department does not need to be the next programs to leave universities like fellow classics and languages have begun to. Colleges are eliminating the subjects students do not favor instead of making them appreciate them for their intrinsic value by teaching them in a way that today’s youth can relate to. The topics do not need altering but the way they are delivered must in order for us as a nation to bring literacy learning issues to an end. If online learning modules and other forms of help is what makes that happen then there is no reason why these forms cannot make for better learners in classrooms today.