Case Studies in Biology

The happiest students are those who are actively involved in their education, according to an arti cle in The Chronicle of Higher Educa tion (1987). One of the best ways, if not the best way, to actively involve students in their education is to stimu late them through writing to learn. Radford University has undertaken a writing-intensive approach to teaching and learning, which has involved stu dents and faculty in a variety of cam pus-wide writing programs. During the spring semester of 1987, I had the pleasure of teaching parasitology using a writing intensive approach. During that same semester participa tion in a workshop coordinated by Toby Fulwiler (1987) persuaded me that students should have a greater op portunity to write in their discipline. More writing would help lessen the drudgery of rote memorization to which students are traditionally ex posed and would stimulate them to think. During the workshop, Fulwiler stressed the following points: