We have designed a series of assignments that encourage students to explore the relationship between personal experience and public inquiry, with the final goal of integrating the two into the "metapersonal" essay (See Appendix, Figure 2). In all, our stacks include five writing assignments: a personal story ("Narrative" tab), an expository text that will be linked to this story via numbered buttons ("Two Track"), a set of two hypertexts with shifting emphases ("Nar-Exp"), and a final assignment that asks students to integrate the narrative and expository strands they have been exploring into a linear essay ("Metapersonal"). In addition to helps, exercises, and sample essays that guide students through each of these assignments, the stacks also contain a file of pictures (the "LifeScenes" tab) to help inspire essay brainstorming; notes may be recorded in pop-up windows, then referenced later for pasting onto assignment idea cards or into actual essays. The "Suggestion Box" is a space in which students may leave ideas and complaints, and the instructor can respond. In addition to brainstorming and revision tips included with each of the individual assignments, the "Help" tab offers context-specific technical assistance. The help provided will always be appropriate to whichever stack ("LifeScenes," "Narrative," "Two Track," etc.) the student has selected prior to clicking on "Help" (See Appendix, Figure 3).

(diPardo)