Writing for Academic Success

In the online classroom, we are all writers. Writing is the main tool we use to express our thoughts and the medium through which we accomplish learning. We write and post our discussion threads, which give us insight into the academic interpretations of our classmates. We gain new insights by reading the writing of others, so in the online classroom it is imperative that we communicate well enough to accurately express our thoughts. Since we do not have a visual or audio image of our classmates, our impressions of them are based on their writing. Poor writing, such as misspelled words, improper grammar, and run-on sentences give the impression that the writer is careless and ill prepared. Contrarily, good writing that is well organized and free of grammatical errors projects an image of great intelligence and competence.

Our classmates are not the only ones that use our writing to gage our academic ability. Instructors use our writing to judge how well we comprehend assigned texts. They also use our writing to measure our level of commitment to academic achievement. For example, writing that meets the minimum requirements will be graded accordingly and writing that exceeds the minimum requirements will receive higher marks. In the online classroom, good writing skills are the most important tool a student can use to succeed in the realm of higher education.