Approaches to Understanding
Immersive Virtual Reality to Support Argumentative English Writing and Reduce Anxiety View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Neil Barrett
Argumentative writing is a vital skill for many undergraduate students taking English Mediated Instruction (EMI) courses and high-stakes English proficiency tests. However, the organization, complex grammatical structures, and logical argument structure are difficult for English second language learners, and are known to cause higher levels of writing anxiety. Research suggests that writing projects increase self-efficacy and help second language learners with writing anxiety. Recently, research into Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) for writing has demonstrated increased student motivation, self-efficacy and interest. To help undergraduate students develop argumentative essays, and investigate the effects of IVR-assisted writing projects on second language writing anxiety, we developed IVR 360-degree learning environments which focused on local social issues in an East Asian country. An experimental group of 15 students created argumentative essays with IVR learning environments while a control group of 15 wrote argumentative essays with traditional instruction over 14 weeks. Pre and post instruction writing tests were used alongside a pre and post writing anxiety questionnaire. Repeated measures ANCOVAs revealed that the experimental group improved in writing quality, structure, idea development, and vocabulary. However, there were no significant differences in grammar or coherence. The experimental group also showed a significant decrease in writing anxiety. Follow-up interviews indicated students had higher levels of writing motivation, interest, and topic knowledge. The experimental group also believed their writing skills increased after the training but experienced difficulties using IVR for long periods. To alleviate this problem, the students and instructor developed procedures for combining IVR with other writing activities.
Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for College Writing: A Case Study in the First-year Composition Classroom View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Guy Krueger
My research explores artificial intelligence as a tool for innovation and composing in college writing classes. I study how students might bolster their existing approaches to writing by using global AI tools such as Elicit and Fermat for brainstorming, narrowing research questions, developing counter-arguments, modeling, and creating multimodal texts. In particular, I examine the potential for AI tools for under-served students given that nearly one-third of our student population faces financial need. As a teacher and researcher at the University of Mississippi, I encounter a diverse student population with a wide variety of writing experiences, including some students with very little formal writing practice; AI is an interesting tool given its potential for use at various stages of the writing process. My classes in the Fall 2022 semester involved a researched argument essay assignment where students utilized AI as part of the process of brainstorming potential research questions, narrowing research questions, and exploring and incorporating counter-arguments into their work. Further, the students in these sections were asked to create an AI-generated multimodal text reimagining their arguments and to write several reflective pieces on their experiences using AI tools. My paper covers the results, including sharing student reflections on their work as well as my thoughts on how AI functioned and how students might utilize such tools in the future. I also explain how AI functions in the context of the university's plagiarism and academic honesty policies and how students feel AI works within and/or around such policies.
Teaching Indigenous Authors: Considerations for Non-Indigenous Instructors View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Annabel Lyon
A significant challenge to decolonizing/Indigenizing University-level Creative Writing and Literature classrooms lies in the conflicting goals of well-meaning non-Indigenous, or settler, instructors. On the one hand, they seek to include Indigenous authors, teachings, and ways of approaching craft into their curricula; on the other hand, they risk causing offence by misinterpreting Indigenous writing. Synthesizing the work of Indigenous and racialized writers and scholars of pedagogy—including Elissa Washuta, Theresa Warburton, Gregory Younging, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Sandra Styres, Alicia Elliott, Lou Maraj, and Matthew Salesses—as well as drawing on decades of creative writing teacher experience, this paper seeks to offer practical advice to the non-Indigenous classroom teacher. Humility, contextualization, research, questioning dominant craft paradigms, close attention to biases in language, and learning to embrace Indigenous ways of knowing—for instance, relationships to land, circularity, relationality, and accountability—are the tools a settler instructor needs to approach the teaching of Indigenous literature in an informed, humble, thoughtful way.
