Animal Diversity Web as a Teaching & Learning Tool to Improve Research & Writing Skills in College Biology Courses

Abstract

Most teachers agree that writing is an important skill for students to master, yet not all teachers incorporate writing assignments in their courses. Employers agree that written communication is important for college graduates, yet in a survey, less than 10% of employers thought that colleges did a good job preparing students for work. Writing an animal species account for Animal Diversity Web (http://animaldiversity.org) provides students with a real-world example of writing skills and provides resources to instructors who want to incorporate writing in their classes.