The Humanities and Peer Led Team Learning: Refreshing Freshman Composition Classes

Freshman Composition is the name given to English classes that typically are taken by first-year university students. The aim of the courses is to enhance students’ writing abilities, but some studies have suggested that the classes, as traditionally conducted, have little impact. So, to improve learning outcomes at Sam Houston University in Huntsville, Texas, over a three-year period (2012-2014) several traditional sections of Freshman Composition were modified by pursuing an approach that combined three elements: (1) the use of whole original texts, (2) a focus on ethical issues raised by those texts, and (3) discussions of those issues in a Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) format. Even though less time was devoted to formal writing instruction, the students in the PLTL modified courses displayed improved writing skills in each of three fall semesters compared to students in traditional courses. These results suggest that a relatively simple and inexpensive pedagogical innovation can significantly improve Freshman Composition writing outcomes.