Writing Technologies and the Technologies of Writing Designing a Web-Based Writing Course Catherine Gouge West Virginia University

Conclusion Though in both on-site and web-based writing courses students can learn a great deal from reflecting on the texts or technologies used to teach the course, a web-based writing course can unintentionally make the course technologies the focus of the course if the technologies are distracting for students. The explicitly low-tech model of web-based course-design that I detail in this article reflects consideration of this, keeping the primary course focus on the students and the course goals. As web-based writing course designers and instructors, it is our job to be thoughtful about the relationship among the various technologies of writing and writing technologies--and it is our job to do what we can to make it possible for our students to do the same. My experiences with these web-based courses have taught me that when a student’s experience with course technologies is relatively seamless, that student gains more than easy access to the course materials—that student is able to contribute to, and thus gains access to, a supportive and productive learning environment. With carefully and deliberately chosen course technologies, web-based writing courses can most certainly provide students with a communal web-based course that facilitates learning and achievement. Building a wide variety of communication tools into the course foundation gives students access to a vital and richly textual learning community. Because the community created in a web-based course is entirely dependent on the written word, web-based writing courses have the potential to generate more--and more thoughtful--student participation and reflection. In fact, with multiple synchronous and asynchronous opportunities to communicate with the course instructor and each other, a web-based writing course is much more than an independent study for which students work on their own and get occasional feedback and grades on papers. A course that requires students complete the course by using a range of written communication tools offers students the opportunity to learn from and work with each other in meaningful ways. As they practice writing for multiple audiences in a variety of web-based genres, students in 100% online writing courses collaboratively author their own course web-text: the course itself.

Webtext Nodes Abstract & Introduction Institutions of all kinds are moving to transcend the limitations of “brick-and-mortar” instructional spaces. . .More>> Designing the Web-Based Classroom WebCT and Blackboard, two of the most popular platforms for web-based distance learning, promise to do much of the work for educators. . .More >> The Web-Based Course Design Process Like many English Departments, my department has a number of common course goals. . . More >> Reflection on the Technology Sets For English 101, I chose WebCT-based tools which include. . .More >> Conclusion My experiences with these web-based courses have taught me. . .More >> Works Cited [Complete Version to Print]

©2006 Catherine Gouge

West Virginia University