Letter Assignments

Ken Dunn and Richard Nowakowski, Department of Mathematics, Statistics & Computing Science, Dalhousie University

Letter to a Sick Friend

We ask students to write a one- or two-page letter to a sick classmate explaining what s/he missed in class that day. This assignment gives students an opportunity to think about the topic discussed in the lecture and to see if they have really understood it.

Letter to a History Major

About half way through the first term, when students are well into Differential Calculus, we ask them to write to a friend who is a History major but is contemplating switching to Science. The students are asked to explain to their friend what Calculus is all about and why s/he should (or should not) consider studying it. While the usual weekly questions force students to become immersed in specific topics, this assignment allows them to stand back and look at the subject as a whole.

Learning Through Writing is available on campus from the OIDT for $5.00 per copy ($6.00 + postage external mail), or copies are available on loan.