Thirteenth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies

Abstract

This presentation documents and reflects on the development of the online writing pilot at the University of Oregon between 2017 and 2019. Despite being the state’s flagship research institution, the UO lacks the robust technological and administrative support structure of competing schools like Oregon State University eCampus (consistently ranked among the nation’s best online universities). With minimal training and support, six experienced writing instructors have devoted our time and energy to develop individualized online sections of two required courses that offer accessible, rigorous, and rewarding experiences for our students. We have also partnered with the tutoring center to pilot an online tutoring lab. We offer 20 online sections per year to supplement 250 in-person sections. The online sections have been particularly appealing to nontraditional students, student-athletes, international students, and students with disabilities. Students must also be taking classes on campus to register. I will share background on the institutional history of our online writing pilot and demonstrate how current academic research in online writing education (see King, Keeth, and Ryan, 2018, for example) and inclusive pedagogy have informed our curriculum development. I will spend the second half of my talk sharing experiences and challenges I have faced piloting my own course. I will provide a resource list for the audience as well as teaching materials and examples from my own courses, which use traditional and digital tools to improve students’ rhetorical analysis skills through individual and collaborative assignments that bridge the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.