Literature and Software Review: Computer-Aided Remediation for Grammar, Punctuation

Many students who enter journalism and mass communication programs lack basic English grammar and punctuation skills. Unfortunately, their deficiencies often persist through their college years and beyond. Professionals in mass communication businesses have criticized graduates of schools of journalism and m a s communication for their poor writing ability and have called for more emphasis on basic writing skills in those schools’ curricula. A survey of broadcast and cable executives reported in Broadcasting (Jan. 18, 1988) found that “poor writing skills are included in the list of disappointments the executives have experienced” with recent graduates (p. 95). The executives said “college and universities must place more emphasis on writing skills” (p. 96). In a survey of newspaper editors (Mills, Harvey, & Warnick, 1980), “the most frequently mentioned shortcoming” of journalism school graduates was in basic writing skills (p. IS). In another survey (Baxter, 1985), members of the Public Relations Society of America who work for corporations “agreed that the development of writing and other journalism-related skills.. .must be the first priority of PR students headed for jobs in the corporate sector” (p. 39). Deficiencies in basic grammar and punctuation cause problems both for the students who lack the skills and for the schools in which they are enrolled. The students are missing an important element necessary for success in their coursework and their eventual employment. The journalism and mass communication schools must find a way to help students improve their skills without reducing the time students and faculty members have available for other instruction. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) offers a possible solution. Teaching with computers can provide many benefits, including motivation and reinforcement, rapid feedback, accurate and consistent instruction, and cost efficiency, as computers reduce the number of human teachers needed. But implementing a CAI program is not simple. Computers are expensive, and good software is not always easy to find. CAI does not eliminate the need for qualified human supervision of instruction. In addition, both teachers and students may be apprehensive about using an unfamiliar learning tool. Schools of journalism and mass communication should weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully before making the decision to implement any program of computerassisted instruction. Some universities already use CAI for remedial instruction in grammar and punctuation. Their experience can provide valuable guidelines to others considering a similar course. The research which reports such experience is not abundant, though, nor does it follow a consistent pattern. Some studies measure achievement in only grammar or punctuation, while others measure achievement in both. The various studies compare