The essays in Web Writing respond to contemporary debates over the
proper role of the Internet in higher education, steering a middle
course between polarized attitudes that often dominate the
conversation. The authors argue for the wise integration of web
tools into what the liberal arts does best: writing across the
curriculum. All academic disciplines value clear and compelling
prose, whether that prose comes in the shape of a persuasive essay,
scientific report, or creative expression. The act of writing
visually demonstrates how we think in original and critical ways
and in ways that are deeper than those that can be taught or
assessed by a computer. Furthermore, learning to write well
requires engaged readers who encourage and challenge us to revise
our muddled first drafts and craft more distinctive and informed
points of view. Indeed, a new generation of web-based tools for
authoring, annotating, editing, and publishing can dramatically
enrich the writing process, but doing so requires liberal arts
educators to rethink why and how we teach this skill, and to
question those who blindly call for embracing or rejecting
technology.