What Writing Students Get From the Net: Using Synchronous Communication
to Develop Writerly Skills
The Character Creation Unit Goals
An important step in deciding how and how often to use synchronous media
in any given unit or course is articulating pedagogical goals. Some of
these, although not all, certainly, will be relevant to chat or MUSH/MOO
use. These were my goals for the Character Creation assignment:
-
Experiment with the concept of
multiple selves, a concept about which many traditional first-year
students are skeptical. The experience of maintaining four very different
personas lets students test the extent to which they feel they have a "core"
self or the extent to which they feel themselves to be a "collection" of
personas.
-
Observe the effects of language
choices on audience perception, an experience that is very difficult
to bring home to students in traditional writing classes, even those that
incorporate peer review. In this environment, students get immediate feedback
from a diverse group of readers directly related to how well the student
has present the "self" s/he desires.
- Get real time feedback on successes/failures
in voice/tone/ethos. Online, students get feedback from strangers
(readers) who have no investment in commenting constructively on word choice
or self-presentation through language. These audiences will call students
on errors that their peers might notice but say nothing about.
-
Learn formal elements of compare/contrast essay.
-
Gather evidence for the next essay in the course. Although students
are not aware that they are working toward this goal during the Character
Creation unit, after participating in this experiment and some earlier
experiences with writing online they are ready to write the culminating
essay for the course. This essay asks them to argue either for or against
the continued inclusion of online writing elements in first-year composition
courses based on what they see as gains/losses in skills and instruction.
For some evidence about the assignment's success in relation to these goals,
see the Response page.