The Physics Course Laboratory Report as a Rhetorical Act

Event Date:
2019-05-16T10:00:00
2019-05-16T11:30:00
Event Location:
Hennings 318
Speaker:
Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program, Duke University
Related Upcoming Events:
Intended Audience:
Faculty
Local Contact:

Joss Ives

Event Information:

The field of science education has paid considerable attention to what students should write in their lab reports, but comparatively little attention has been given the laboratory report writing as a rhetorical activity—one in which writers attempt to communicate with a particular audience for a specific purpose. This is unfortunate, since labs remain students’ primary experience with scientific writing in the undergraduate science curriculum—especially in mathematically-heavy fields such as physics. In many undergraduate courses, lab report writing assignments tend to reinforce misunderstandings about scientific communication students often bring from high school, rather than helping students develop a more sophisticated and effective understanding of effective scientific communication. This talk invites us to reconsider the experience of the undergraduate physics lab report—both for students as writers and instructors as readers.

Relevant Publication: Inquiry-based writing in the laboratory course

 


Other talks by Cary while he is here

 

Public Talk: Text Recycling in Scientific Writing

Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program, Duke University

May 15, 10:00 - 11:30 am

MSL 102

Text recycling (often called “self-plagiarism”) is the reuse of textual material from existing documents in a new text without the use of quotation marks or other means of identifying the reused material as such. While text recycling has long been common practice in some STEM fields, the recent adoption of digital plagiarism detection tools by scientific journals has made text recycling the subject of increasing controversy and ethical debate. Some researchers and editors argue that text recycling is inherently unethical or otherwise problematic. Others, including organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), state that some uses of text recycling are acceptable and, in limited circumstances, desirable—particularly in Introduction and Methods sections. Although text recycling is an increasingly important ethical issue in scientific communication (even listed as a priority for RCR training in an ORS-funded study), it is rarely addressed in the ethical training of researchers or in scientific writing textbooks or websites.

***For full details and to register for the text recycling talk: https://events.ctlt.ubc.ca/events/text-recycling-in-scientific-writing/

 

Lunch Chat: Volunteer Expert Readers: The Duke Reader Project

Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program, Duke University

May 15, ~11:45 am - 1:30 pm

CHEM D213

Volunteer Expert Readers (VER) is a novel approach to providing undergraduates with feedback on writing assignments via an otherwise untapped educational resource: university alumni and employees who normally play no role in the institution's educational mission. In the VER approach, students are paired with volunteers whose backgrounds make them suitable readers for specific writing assignments. Having the opportunity to discuss their work in progress with experts in the field increases students’ engagement in class writing assignments. The feedback also helps students learn to anticipate the needs and expectations of readers, and to revise their writing to make it more effective for the intended audience.  By participating as readers, members of the broader college community can play a direct role in helping students develop the communication and reasoning skills that are so important for their success in both professional and civic life.

***To register for the lunch chat, please email jandciu@science.ubc.ca

Relevant Publications:

Reader Experts Help Students Bring the Write Stuff

Volunteer Expert Readers for STEM Student Writers 

The Duke Reader Project: Engaging the University Community in Undergraduate Writing Instruction

 

Add to Calendar 2019-05-16T10:00:00 2019-05-16T11:30:00 The Physics Course Laboratory Report as a Rhetorical Act Event Information: The field of science education has paid considerable attention to what students should write in their lab reports, but comparatively little attention has been given the laboratory report writing as a rhetorical activity—one in which writers attempt to communicate with a particular audience for a specific purpose. This is unfortunate, since labs remain students’ primary experience with scientific writing in the undergraduate science curriculum—especially in mathematically-heavy fields such as physics. In many undergraduate courses, lab report writing assignments tend to reinforce misunderstandings about scientific communication students often bring from high school, rather than helping students develop a more sophisticated and effective understanding of effective scientific communication. This talk invites us to reconsider the experience of the undergraduate physics lab report—both for students as writers and instructors as readers. Relevant Publication: Inquiry-based writing in the laboratory course   Other talks by Cary while he is here   Public Talk: Text Recycling in Scientific Writing Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program, Duke University May 15, 10:00 - 11:30 am MSL 102 Text recycling (often called “self-plagiarism”) is the reuse of textual material from existing documents in a new text without the use of quotation marks or other means of identifying the reused material as such. While text recycling has long been common practice in some STEM fields, the recent adoption of digital plagiarism detection tools by scientific journals has made text recycling the subject of increasing controversy and ethical debate. Some researchers and editors argue that text recycling is inherently unethical or otherwise problematic. Others, including organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), state that some uses of text recycling are acceptable and, in limited circumstances, desirable—particularly in Introduction and Methods sections. Although text recycling is an increasingly important ethical issue in scientific communication (even listed as a priority for RCR training in an ORS-funded study), it is rarely addressed in the ethical training of researchers or in scientific writing textbooks or websites. ***For full details and to register for the text recycling talk: https://events.ctlt.ubc.ca/events/text-recycling-in-scientific-writing/   Lunch Chat: Volunteer Expert Readers: The Duke Reader Project Cary Moskovitz, Director, Writing in the Disciplines, Thompson Writing Program, Duke University May 15, ~11:45 am - 1:30 pm CHEM D213 Volunteer Expert Readers (VER) is a novel approach to providing undergraduates with feedback on writing assignments via an otherwise untapped educational resource: university alumni and employees who normally play no role in the institution's educational mission. In the VER approach, students are paired with volunteers whose backgrounds make them suitable readers for specific writing assignments. Having the opportunity to discuss their work in progress with experts in the field increases students’ engagement in class writing assignments. The feedback also helps students learn to anticipate the needs and expectations of readers, and to revise their writing to make it more effective for the intended audience.  By participating as readers, members of the broader college community can play a direct role in helping students develop the communication and reasoning skills that are so important for their success in both professional and civic life. ***To register for the lunch chat, please email jandciu@science.ubc.ca Relevant Publications: Reader Experts Help Students Bring the Write Stuff Volunteer Expert Readers for STEM Student Writers  The Duke Reader Project: Engaging the University Community in Undergraduate Writing Instruction   Event Location: Hennings 318