Colleges to do away with Essays?

Image courtesy of the Piecesofme Blog
In a recent article in The New York Times, it has been said that universities in the United States are considering re-evaluating the use of term papers and structured academic essays as a metric for academic performance. The newspaper prints that professors from across the country are calling for a radical reworking of the education system, and one that will include blogging as part of grading a student's aptitude for a subject.

According to the Inside Vandy, a Vanderbilt University online student paper, formal papers are on the decline, the 'National Survey of Student Engagement' found that in 2011, 82% of first-year college students and over 50% of seniors were not asked to do a single paper of 20 pages or more.
"Students tend to write better when they know someone might actually read what they're doing, other than their professor who has to read it. It gives students the opportunity to write and think about the course topics on a more regular basis in something that's not a high stakes graded essay. It's more about participation and less about valuation. You also sometimes see a bit more creativity with multimedia than you normally would in a more formal medium and I think that's valuable too," said Derek Bruff, a senior lecturer in mathematics and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching.
So while many professors cite that blog writing provides students with a sense of relevancy and instant feedback, others like all of us at AcaDemon, argue that formal papers are a necessary means to develop a student's critical thinking and argumentation.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this matter so please post your comments below this post or let's continue this conversation on the AcaDemon Facebook page.

January 26, 2012

PYD 6: The Academic Writing Process

The Academic Writing Process
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today's episode of the Power your Document podcast series is dedicated to the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In fact, this week's Paper of the Week, "Martin Luther King’s famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail"", was chosen specifically to help us honor the Martin Luther King Jr., federal holiday.  The free abstract for the paper is now available.


The main focus of this week's podcast, hosted by Dave Jackson, then takes a look at the entire writing process for an academic paper from start to finish.  Dave talks about writing drafts, editing and revising a paper, and even the proofreading process. 


And don't forget the Quick Tips section.  This week we provide tips about when to to correctly use the comma when you're writing.

If you would like to subscribe to receive the Power your Document podcast via a media player, please visit our iTunes profile and click on the "Subscribe" button.









Image courtesy of The Seattle Times

January 19, 2012

PYD 5: Learn how to Structure your Essay

How to Structure your Essay
Elvis Presley at his '68 Comeback Concert

This week's episode of the Power your Document podcast is all about helping students write better academic papers.  Power Your Document host, Dave Jackson, discusses important writing techniques for organizing and structuring your essay; techniques that will help you write a a more coherent essay and a better essay.

Also discussed in this week's Podcast episode is the Paper of the Week, "Elvis Presley: Controversy and Harbinger of Change".  This fascinating paper takes a look at the effect that Elvis Presley had on adults who lived through the Great Depression, and post World War II teenagers.  Follow the link to read  the free abstract for Elvis Presley: Controversy and Harbinger of Change" . It's available now for viewing..

And don't forget to listen to the quick tips offered.  You'll definitely gain a better understanding about the difference between a hyphen and a dash and how to use them correctly.
If you would like to subscribe to receive the Power your Document podcast every two weeks, please visit our iTunes profile and click on the "Subscribe" button.

January 05, 2012

PYD Podcast 4: Free Academic Writing Guides

Free Academic Writing Guides

The fourth episode of the Power your Document podcast series. Host, Dave Jackson looks at a free writing guide on APA Citation that is being offered to help students with their academic papers.

The free abstract for our Paper of the Week is now available. This week's paper discusses the reasons that President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in spite of strong and widespread opposition to the Proclamation. Just follow the link to download the free abstract for the Paper of the Week: “The Emancipation Proclamation: A Political Statement.

Don't forget to review our Quick Tips to gain some clarity on how best to use the Ellipsis.

If you would like to subscribe to receive the Power your Document podcast every two weeks, please visit our iTunes profile and click on the "Subscribe" button.

December 21, 2011

C'mon - It's Time to Socialize with Us

Image credit to onextrapixel.com
We've been busy preparing for the new term and are excited to tell you that you now have more ways to connect with us online!

Gone are the days where snail mail and even email would suffice.  In the digital age we know that many of our users are also part of the large social media generation and are connected to at least one, if not several, social networks.

That's why we've decided to open up the floodgates of communication and ask that you join us on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube so you can stay up-to-date with all that's happening at AcaDemon HQ!

So without further ado, c'mon what are you waiting for?

You can use the social media channels to tell us about any problems you may be experiencing on our site and we'll be there to help ease the stress and assist you with your queries. We also encourage you to post your suggestions for new term papers and essay topics you would like offered on AcaDemon.com.

December 14, 2011