In order to help underprepared students entering college in an open admissions program learn to write original research papers, a method was devised which relates the students' experiences in the nonacademic world to their academic assignments. Students first visit a local business, store, or institution with which they are familiar and write an observation report of the visit; they then return to the place of observation and interview at least one person there. At this point, the students are ready to choose a subject for a research paper about some aspect of their observations. A series of assignments is used to help students gather and evaluate information from secondary sources, formulate a thesis, and organize, write, and evaluate their papers. Direct teaching is done in response to felt needs. Before the teacher evaluates the papers, the class devises evaluation criteria, and students read and evaluate each other's papers and hold follow-up conferences. This method helps students realize that, in the alien academic world, their own eyes and ears can be capable research tools. (GW)