Twentieth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper presents the outcomes of a practicum substitution that a lecturer of Professional Editing made during the first year of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Through technology and networking the practicum was brought to graduate students. The medium through which instruction was provided also facilitated connection that resulted in simulation of a practicum placement and access to authentic academic manuscripts for practice. Another outcome that informed the design of this course emerged from the proactive planning with participants. Their willingness and initiative to identify feasible substitutes for the practicum, unearthed that their perception of academic texts was different from the emphasis of the course. Further their training, practice and grammarian orientation initially limited the scope for editing academic texts. Using content analysis of student reflection and two rounds of manuscripts editing practice by selected students, the writer identifies and discusses themes, describes the pivot, and graduate students’ evolution from essay markers to emerging copyeditors of academic texts. The outcome of this qualitative inquiry has implications for professional writing pedagogy. The findings show instructors of communication and academic writing, ways to build on the existing language arts competences of undergraduate and graduate students seeking to retool.

Presenters

Claudette Coote Thompson
Curriculum Development Specialist and Adjunct Lecturer, Regional Headquarters and Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy, University of the West Indies, Jamaica