Teaching Basic Writing Online

by Thomas Henry, Michigan Technological University

If You Build It, They Will Come…

Recently, while working at a vocational college in Utah, I was approached by the dean of education about developing and teaching online courses in composition. At first, I was horrified. Seriously, I was surrounded by basic writers: students without a conventional understanding of grammar and organizational structures required in essays and other forms of writing (Shaughnessy), unskilled writers (Perl), students who did not survive their initial college experiences at larger institutions, non-traditional students, minority students with strong bilingual tendencies which diverged their writing in several ways (Connor), students who had never attended college before in their lives and whose disposition showed concerns in having to appropriate the language of the academy (Bartholomae), and students who just could not write for one problem or another (perhaps even because of learning differences). Moreover, I found by talking to them that most of these students had come to this vocational college to seek refuge from the state college and universities that they had previously attempted to attend. Most of them had families and interests already set and could not envision themselves now in either the regular college experience taking remedial courses or attempting to drag out two or four years with a family in a community college, so they chose the path of the vocational college, a college with a very short “educational turnaround” towards a degree.

From teaching a section of composition and offering assessments of my own design, I assessed that roug hly 50% of the students at the college qualified as basic writers, again not just because of socio-economic and socio-cultural conditions, but because their writing matched the identification criteria set forth/posed by scholarship in basic writing. As I discussed writing concerns students in individual conferences, I was reminded each time of “Tony,” one of the students from Sondra Perl’s case study in the “The Composing Process of Unskilled College Writers,” further envisioning with each student the politics of location, such as those described in Mike Rose’s many works on remediation. I asked myself, how did all of these students getting funneled down from the state colleges and universities to this vocational college. Were basic writing programs falling short or were they just non-existent? How was this happening and why? And, how the heck was I going to teach composition online with knowledge of these writers and their very individual needs? Regardless, the expectation of the administration was “you are going to do this.…”

Basic Writers and Their Technologies

When I began teaching courses at this college, I expected to see students relying on technology to help them overcome some of the difficulties in their writing. After all, we tend to use technology to overcome most of humanity’s most difficult problems to some degree. And, if you believe in cyborg theory, then to some degree you accept that we are all cyborgs (that is, we rely on technology in one capacity or another, where our relationship with technology is not only as user and machine, but as an embodied, symbiotic relationship, both physical and/or mental with the machine). Don’t believe it? Have you worn tennis shoes or contact lenses lately? But, what about students using technology? Most of the students in this vocational environment had access to computers and the internet, as I would expect of many of our colleges and universities, which contain computer labs and libraries with computers. These students understood the basic principles of computing: how to use the keyboard and mouse, how to connect to the internet, how to use a word-processor, and how to use varying programs. Further, I surmised that students were “trainable” at many levels to undertake the task and responsibilities of taking classes online, as evidenced by the recent monetary success of many online degree programs catering to vocational students. In addition, I believe that many students will in the future opt to take online course to fit their needs. Furthermore, I believe that we can accommodate students to be receptive of our courses. Granted, what choice do we have?

Basic Writing’s Technological Determinism

Teaching courses online is now a necessity because of the problems faced with the inevitable course of education towards its own technological determinants (Smith, et al). First, consider, in your own departments, the socio-political climate in our colleges/universities (cutbacks, overloads, the inevitable quest to show our accreditation bodies our use of technology, etc.). I remember dealing with the English department head and the Dean of Student Services at a community college that I had worked at previous to my experiences above. The accrediting officials were coming to our writing center, where I worked, and we had to find technological solutions to support our conventional teaching structures, as prescribed in a previous visit for accreditation. They managed to convince us that in order to be competitive, we had to offer online courses (Leonard and Smith). For us, the solution was simple; they asked me to develop an online writing center 1 complete with online tutors and online resources for download, which offered students the ability to get anything they needed within a reasonable amount of time any time. However, for the English department, they faced the even more difficult challenge of having to start offering online instruction in some form or another to meet this “technological challenge” posed by the accrediting body. Similar to other departments, our developmental English teachers were not ready for these sorts of technological challenges (Laughlin 3), although there are ways to remedy this situation, which I will discuss at the close of this module.

Second, consider environmental influences, which necessitate having online courses in our departments. During the Electronic-Communication-across-the-Community (ECAC) workshop, where I assisted Richard Selfe this summer, I listened and reflected on Selfe’s lecture on the importance of preparing and participating in online education. Selfe provided us with a substantial list of simple and complex and even compound reasons why we needed online education in our schools and English departments. Mostly aimed at secondary school teachers and English educators, he cited all sorts of things hostile to our communal learning environments: wide-spread illness, threats of terrorist attacks (the occasional bomb scare), and other situations which might render our schools mentally or physically, yet not completely technologically inoperable 2 and our teachers homebound (Selfe).

Third, aside from “preparing against some form of spatial deprivation or other social, logistical apocalypse, there is the premise and promise of online teaching, which offers basic writing instructors technologies which can simulate students who might otherwise not want to write. Moreover, in explaining to students how writing should be formal/informal and how sources are sometimes creditable or not, teaching online courses may provide an opportunity to help against this very postmodern trend of writing in the “email shorthand,” which students have begun to use as a result of cellular phones and instant messaging while helping us to teach students how to judge material on the internet, as suggested by Grobman (Grobman).

Fourth, recent scholarship in basic writing shows us that teaching with technology is not such a bad endeavor. We know that very simple computer programs can help a student develop interest in writing. Consider Judith Kish’s move to teaching very basic hypertext to the class, which proves very beneficial as a result of the connection of two different genres/mediums ( Kish).

Finally, consider evidence from the Computers and Writing clan, who suggest that synchronous/asynchronous communication and other forms of online technology actually encourage students to want to write more in response to elements on the web and even a simple writing prompt. In your own experiences with the web, have you visited an online chat? Consider the competition for response in a regular “chatroom,” then consider the implications for teaching basic writing in the online classroom. Finally, consider Grabill’s argument that an emphasis on technologies can help us to improve one’s departmental view of basic writing instruction (Grabill). Grabill suggests that a focus on incorporating technology into the basic writing course may actually motivate students and instructors alike.

How to Build “It”

There are many ways to go about teaching online courses. First, you have to get help (always). Usually, there are several specialists available to help you. You should ask a specialist in your institution about helping you to create the project, if you do not already have the “know-how.” You may have to find the person responsible for “distance-Learning” or “educational technology” in your institution. These people are there to help you to make your courses accessible. Some work harder than others, so be ready to learn just in case.

Second, find a technology suitable for the construction and development of your course, some form of “ready-made” online technology. Ready-made refers to “course-creation software” or software that helps you to construct web sites without having to type in computer codes, such as HTML. As a preference, I like to have a simple web page and use this as a “home base” for learning. Like the classroom, you need to have a central location for meeting, although in a virtual meeting time is either crucial or not. In other words, you can set an exact time to meet (synchronous communication) or allow students to participate at any time (asynchronous communication).

The web site serves as a central location; it provides information for students and usually “links” to resources, activities, and assignments. For constructing web sites, I prefer to use Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage, although you should ask the person helping you which method is preferred by them (some software works better on different computers servers, etc.). Dreamweaver and Frontpage are simple WYSIWYG editors (or “what you see is what you get” editors), which construct the page based on the .html programming language. They are often very easy to use and easily explained. Dreamweaver usually comes with a brilliant tutorial attached. Plus, if you have help, the process of using them is often made even easier. So, keep the person helping you very close.

Third, you have to identify the way in which you publish your site. Some schools use simple file managing programs, which work the same way you save your documents into a folder (very simple) on a drive. Other schools have you save your work onto the web through file-transfer-protocol software. File-transfer-protocol (or FTP) software allows you to send and download your files to a particular web space (or domain). FTP programs can be complex, although not impossible. Again, make sure you have help learning how to use the program.

Third, you have to rely on your instincts and concentrate on the curriculum/content, which inevitably shapes your online project towards the formation of an electronic classroom. As Cynthia Selfe and Gail Hawisher suggest “Writing instructors who hope to function effectively in these new electronic classrooms must assess ways in which the use of computer technology might shape, for better or worse, their strategies for working with students” (Hawisher and Selfe 55). Moreover, you need to allow your needs to situate and perpetuate the design of the page as well. In the design an online writing center, I ask myself: what do I need? And, what do the students need? I often take a student-centered or user-centered design approach to creating online materials for students. Assessing your technological needs as well as your own temporal needs is important. One of the biggest problems for new teachers of online courses is knowing how much time to spend on specific online tasks. Studies have shown that workload is a major factor in developing and teaching online courses (Lazarus).

Students needs and their course needs are different. Depending on your course, you may want students to simply email their assignments to you by a specified date. This process is easy, and most of us are familiar with “emailing.” Or, you may have students work with you one on one in a synchronous or asynchronous environment, where you and the student can communicate by way of a program which allows you to “post” information, much like a corkboard and pushpins do, except the result is online. There are many different types of programs. Ask your “helper” which ones are available for you. There are many, and they all have different strengths. I prefer to use “blackboard,” although the “Moodle” and “Wiki” programs are exceptional. Moodles creates an environment where you can talk with the students via posting information. The program is fairly reliable and easy to learn. Wiki is very interesting as it provides students and instructors the opportunity to create one document together (if you like collaborative works, then this program is for you).

Finally, the objective of teaching online is two-fold: students must learn, and teachers must teach and learn. With any technology, there are things which go wrong. You will always need a technician to repair things. Like a bicycle or a car, gears need to be oiled, repaired, and serviced regularly. But, like any use of technology, you will discover proficiency developmentally. I can only compare the experience of using online technologies to being a basic writer: We learn the rules; we learn the possibilities; we learn to fix problems; and we are off...

Discussing and Planning Online Basic Writing Courses

I suggest that we can develop courses for basic writers. However, we need to consider several factors. Here, I have developed a series of questions, based on the scope and concerns of the narrative above. Consider these questions/solutions for discussion and for developing a bit of a heuristic for designing online writing courses in basic writing:

Teaching Writing

1. How should we approach teaching “basic writing” online?
2. What might be the content of the basic writing course online? What do we teach with paper that can be replaced/improved/or/extended online? What assignments do you want to administer?
3. Should the course be self-paced? Directed? Contain some Face-to-Face elements (such as one day of instruction or conferences)?
4. What might be the ideal timeframe for a basic writing course online (from the course standpoint)? In other words, how long should the course be? One Semester? Two Semesters? Is the time element necessary, given that most basic writing courses are either non-credit or non-degree seeking courses?
5. What might be the ideal timeframe for a basic writing course online (from the student standpoint)? Spend a required hour online with the teacher? Work over the course of a week on a paper/project? Meet on a specific day at a specific time? Meet at a specific time? When might be the best time to post assignments? When might be the best time to have a synchronous or asynchronous communication session (through a posting-technology, a MOO/MUD, or a chat)?
6. Is the course a “warranted” entity (in terms of the need of the course)? Can we handle offering these courses in a physical environment? Or, should we teach basic writers, as some institutions do, through the writing center?

Technology

1. What technologies might be used to teach basic writing online? And, why (purpose)?
2. Does your institution have an “online space” for communication already? If not, what hardware is needed? Servers? Who has servers? Who manages the server? Email accounts? Web space for homepages?
3. What software is needed for the instructor? Do you want to use a multimedia CD/Coursepack that connects to a specific web site? Do you want to use Frontpage/Dreamweaver (i.e. Do you want a personal web page as the interface for your class)? Do you want an asynchronous exchange/dialogue? Have you considered Moodle (asynchronous exchange program) or Blackboard? Blogs (journaling technology)? Wiki Programs (Do you want students to collaboratively write text)?
4. What software is needed for the student? Dreamweaver (Do you want students to make web pages)?
5. What about assignments? What formats should the work be saved as/in? How do they turn in the work to you?
6. How will you grade the assignments? Have you considered ALL CAPS responses or using “scripting” to reply with color/highlighting/marginal commentary? Do you have another method in mind?

Logistics of Teaching

1. Is teaching basic writing online a “responsible” act and an “advisable” act?
2. What do you foresee as the benefits and concerns of teaching basic writing online? Problems or hazards?
3. How can we prepare future instructors to teach basic writing courses online? What kind of pedagogical preparation is needed? What kind of technological preparation is needed?
4. Where would these instructors receive training?
5. How would these instructors receive training?
6. Are there monetary factors in the immediate sense of training and offering the course? What are these factors, and how can we move beyond them?

Other Concerns

1. If we teach courses, what kinds of support for these online courses would we need? Online Writing Center? Online Tutors? Office Hours Online?
2. Consider competing interests in education. There are private companies such as Smartthinking who specialize in helping tutor students. Should we accept more responsibility for our students or outsource them?

References

Teaching Basic Writing

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