Shortly after starting the PTW program, I received a survey gauging interest in the possibility of an Online Writing Instruction certificate program. While I had entered the program without a specific goal in mind, suddenly it clicked. I could use my years of professional writing experience to teach writing online. That idea was so appealing that I not only completed the survey, I also joined the program as one of its first-ever participants.
At no point in the certificate program did I think this goal would be easy. There were so many components to teaching online I could never have imagined, from accessibility issues and copyright laws to feedback methods and instructional design. As I wrap up my first semester an online writing instructor of RHET 1311-Composition 1, I am amazed how anyone can successfully develop and execute an online writing course without this training.
While there have been a few challenges and issues to work through, they have primarily come from my lack of personal experience, not from the structure of my course, which was developed in the OWI Practicum course. Because I had a complete Comp 1 course laid out -- including syllabus, schedule, Blackboard site and website -- I was able to jump into teaching with only minimal course redesign. Both my students and I have benefited from having an organized structure that has only required a few changes during the semester.
At no point in the certificate program did I think this goal would be easy. There were so many components to teaching online I could never have imagined, from accessibility issues and copyright laws to feedback methods and instructional design. As I wrap up my first semester an online writing instructor of RHET 1311-Composition 1, I am amazed how anyone can successfully develop and execute an online writing course without this training.
While there have been a few challenges and issues to work through, they have primarily come from my lack of personal experience, not from the structure of my course, which was developed in the OWI Practicum course. Because I had a complete Comp 1 course laid out -- including syllabus, schedule, Blackboard site and website -- I was able to jump into teaching with only minimal course redesign. Both my students and I have benefited from having an organized structure that has only required a few changes during the semester.
Online Writing Instruction Sample Documents
The primary clearinghouse for information in my RHET 1311 is the course website. The website contains links to all course documents, assignments and readings broken down in an easy-to-follow, week-by-week schedule. It was designed independently of Blackboard to ensure students could access the information in the event of a Blackboard outage.
The syllabus and course schedule are found below. They, along with the website, were produced as part of the OWI Certificate Program and have been used successfully during my first teaching experience.
The final two examples are collaborative documents produced as group assignments for RHET 7373.
Example #1: Syllabus
A linked table of contents at the beginning of the syllabus increases its usability by providing easy access to desire information. Headers and subheads divide the information into logical sections and links offer a quick way to find related course information.
The primary clearinghouse for information in my RHET 1311 is the course website. The website contains links to all course documents, assignments and readings broken down in an easy-to-follow, week-by-week schedule. It was designed independently of Blackboard to ensure students could access the information in the event of a Blackboard outage.
The syllabus and course schedule are found below. They, along with the website, were produced as part of the OWI Certificate Program and have been used successfully during my first teaching experience.
The final two examples are collaborative documents produced as group assignments for RHET 7373.
Example #1: Syllabus
A linked table of contents at the beginning of the syllabus increases its usability by providing easy access to desire information. Headers and subheads divide the information into logical sections and links offer a quick way to find related course information.
Example #2: Course Schedule
Designed as a table, this course schedule gives students a view of weekly activities in one concise document. The "Week and Theme" column links each week to the course website for more detailed information about that week's activities. All readings and videos are linked to the schedule in the "To Read of Watch" column. The "To Do" column outlines additional activities such as quizzes and discussion boards, while the "Due Dates/Notes" column lists all assignment due dates and additional information required for that week.
Designed as a table, this course schedule gives students a view of weekly activities in one concise document. The "Week and Theme" column links each week to the course website for more detailed information about that week's activities. All readings and videos are linked to the schedule in the "To Read of Watch" column. The "To Do" column outlines additional activities such as quizzes and discussion boards, while the "Due Dates/Notes" column lists all assignment due dates and additional information required for that week.
Examples #3 and #4: Collaborative Project
The two below examples are the result of a collaborative project completed by the four students in RHET 7373. The project was to research and write a position statement on effective practices for developing, facilitating and assessing online collaborative projects. Uniquely designed as a online collaborative project about online collaborative projects, this assignment was very effective in illustrating the challenges of working in an online group. We were able to witness firsthand the difficulties of collaborating with classmates who have differing work styles and paces, and were able to develop the position paper based on this knowledge, in addition to the outside research we incorporated.
The two below examples are the result of a collaborative project completed by the four students in RHET 7373. The project was to research and write a position statement on effective practices for developing, facilitating and assessing online collaborative projects. Uniquely designed as a online collaborative project about online collaborative projects, this assignment was very effective in illustrating the challenges of working in an online group. We were able to witness firsthand the difficulties of collaborating with classmates who have differing work styles and paces, and were able to develop the position paper based on this knowledge, in addition to the outside research we incorporated.