Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing, published in 1977 by Oxford University Press, by Mina P. Shaughnessy, was the first book-length investigation of writing problems experienced by under-prepared college freshmen. At the time of the book’s publication, Shaughnessy was the director of the Instructional Resource Center and an associate dean of CUNY, having previously worked both as a basic writing (BW) instructor and the director of basic writing at City College in New York.