Education Commons^™

Problem-Based Learning And Information Literacy: Revising A Technical Writing Class, Kelly Diamond

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This chapter discusses the collaboration between a librarian and faculty member to revise an online technical writing course using the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy, problem-based learning, and instructional design principles. The chapter outlines three components of course revision: 1) re-design online course to be more engaging to students as well as easier to navigate; 2) create assignments and activities to mirror actual workplace writing tasks; 3) develop research assignments focused on information literacy skills used in the workplace. Using elements from ADDIE (Analyze; Design; Develop; Implement; Evaluate) and Backward Design, the course …

[Introduction To] Yesternight: A Story For Those Whose Days Cannot Contain All Their Dreams, Linda B. Hobgood

Bookshelf

Recent release Yesternight from Covenant Books author Linda Hobgood is a fascinating story designed to celebrate the potential of imagination, to treasure childhood dreams and remember them for a lifetime.

With this compelling book, the author seeks to persuade readers of all ages that even morning cannot quell our dreams so long as we keep recalling with joy each “yesternight.”

Frameworks For Collaboration: Articulating Information Literacy, And Rhetoric And Writing Goals In The Archives, Amy J. Lueck, Nadia Nasr

Staff publications, research, and presentations

Rhetoric and composition scholars have recently called our attention to the value of archival research in the undergraduate classroom, leading to rich collaborations with archivists and librarians at many institutions. As we engaged our own pedagogical collaboration as a university archivist and English faculty member, we realized that, though we might use slightly different language to articulate them or cite different sources in support of them, many of our learning goals overlapped. As we explored these goals together, we realized that they evidenced a correspondence in our disciplines that we had not explored—one that is reflected in our fields’ recent …

Housing First To Address Homelessness (2019-2020), Caitlyn Gonzalez

Argument

In this student example we can see a clear stance is taken by Gonzales as she argues that vacant homes should be used to house the homeless based on a “Housing First” program model. Her argument draws on examples, narrative, and statistics to persuade the reader as to why this model of government and not-for-profit intervention would help homeless individuals and families recover financial and social stability.

Government Funding For The Arts (2019-2020), Michael Kravchenko

Argument

In this example of an argument, Kravchenko makes the case for the need for continued funding for arts education. He points out the benefits of a funded arts education as increasing creativity, child development, and future career opportunities.

The Case For Less Immigration Restrictions In The United States (2019-2020), Elle O’Leary Kelleher

Argument

In this example of an argument, Kelleher explores how the issue of immigration has been taken up in politics and policy, but rests on many misperceptions, including the negative portrayal of immigrants in popular culture ranging from 1931 to 2013. Kelleher argues for a loosening of immigration restrictions based on benefits to the United States and based on a historical sense of “American values.”

Final Reflection (2019-2020), Danny Zhang

Critical Evaluation

In this example of a critical evaluation essay, Zhang outlines several writing projects that he engaged in both in his past experiences in high school and in his first semester at SUNY Cortland. Throughout this reflective essay, Zhang notes how his thought process began to change about writing and how he might continue his development as a writer in the future.

Transitions And New Beginnings (2019-2020), Lauren Toy

Critical Evaluation

n her critical evaluation, Toy focuses on the progress she has made in developing her writing process as a college-level writer. Rather than relying solely on personal experience, Toy balances her essay with an analysis of her own experiences and first-person perspective and the use of several sources on writing and the writing process, including the textbook They Say/I Say. She uses her sources overall to support the claims and observations that she is bringing to her own writing, while she is talking about having learned that writing skill.

My Journey Through Writing (2019-2020), Nicholas Delillo

Critical Evaluation

In this student example of a critical evaluation we can see how DeLillo makes claims about how his writing works based on citing from his essays within CPN 100, as well as citing from instructor comments and peer review feedback. By using his own writing and feedback he received as “texts,” DeLillo’s critical evaluation offers an example of critical evaluation in the form of an analysis, where the object of study is his own writing in CPN 100.

No One To Blame But Ourselves (2019-2020), Shelby Soule

Research Inquiry

This example of a research inquiry involves moving through various historical developments and statistics related to climate change (such as rising global temperatures, sea levels, ice sheets, and carbon dioxide emissions) in order to then contextualize global efforts to reduce climate change damage, such as the Paris Agreement. Throughout the research inquiry Soule uses an objective stance in presenting findings and developments ranging from the 1700s to present times, and supporting a conclusion that global devastation may be as close as 2100.

Are Vaccines The Key To Alzheimer’S Treatment? (2019-2020), Myia Tyler

Research Inquiry

In this research inquiry, Tyler uses a metacognitive style of reflection walking the reader through her personal connections to topic selection and research process before presenting what she discovered in medical journal articles on the topic of using vaccines for Alzheimer’s treatment and prevention. In closely reviewing journal articles and their findings, Tyler is able to make comments about the challenges of developing a vaccine appropriate to humans (as opposed to the mice trials she reads about,) and the complexity of high failure rates in the past. Finally, Tyler comments on the financial issues involved in this treatment plan and …

Guilty Until Proven Innocent (2019-2020), Jacob Anderson

Research Inquiry

In this student example, Robinson addresses wrongful convictions, falsified evidence, and other major problems in the American justice system. Relying heavily on source material, Robinson confronts systemic problems by detailing the work of a particular nonprofit organization and highlighting the evidence for the necessity of that organization.

Accusative Voice In Sarah Resnick’S “H.” (2019-2020), Taylor Esposito

Analysis

In this analysis example, Esposito conducts a close reading on the structure and grammatical choice to use the accusative voice (addressing “you”) within an essay by Sarah Resnick. Esposito discusses how Resnick’s choices are effective in reaching the reader on the difficult subject of addiction.

Why Is Truth And Reason Rejected? (2019-2020), Dina Hourigan

Analysis

In this student example we can see the moves of the analysis anchor assignment as Hourigan analyzes a concept as her object—reason, knowledge, or objectivity. Her analysis pays particular attention to the context of this object within a contemporary era where reason or objectivity may have different rhetorical value.

Ncaa Athletics: What To Do With All This Money? (2019-2020), Kasey Vaughan

Analysis

In this student example we can see the moves of the analysis anchor assignment as Vaughan analyzes the debate over paying student athletes by focusing on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Her analysis uses multiple outside sources to offer support to the reader in understanding the complexity of the debate, and in particular in tracing the NCAA revenue and financial aspects involved in compensating college-level athletes.

Wallace And Cole: Perception (2019-2020), Jodi Lang

Remix

In this remix as a “reframe” or reframing, the student annotated her own essay as if she was completing an analysis anchor assignment on someone else’s essay. This remixes shows how the student’s thought process changes through creating a layer of self or meta-analysis for what was once considered a “finished” essay on the topic of perception.

Perception And Entropy (2019-2020), Matt Gustafson

Remix

In this remix as a “reframe” or reframing, the student annotated his own essay as if he was completing an analysis anchor assignment on someone else’s essay. This remixes shows how the student’s thought process changes through creating a layer of self or meta-analysis for what was once considered a “finished” essay on perception and entropy.

Teaching Visual Literacies: The Case Of The Great American Dust Bowl, Mary F. Rice, Ashley K. Dallacqua

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers and students require a range of tools to engage with visual texts. Using The Great American Dust Bowlby Don Brown (2013) as an exemplar text, we outline four conceptions of visual literacy: rhetorical, instructional, industrial and visuo-spatial and discuss their use in our literacy education practice. In addition, we provide a brief model of a second text, The Arrival (Tan, 2013) and a list of suggested texts for students at different levels (elementary, middle, and high school). We argue that these tools have the potential to deepen conceptions of visual literacies and empower teachers and students to understand …

"Fuck Tha Police": The Poetry And Politics Of N.W.A., Sandra Young

English Faculty Publications

No one withdrew after syllabus day. In the semester I piloted a first-year seminar course, the “Rhetoric of Protest Songs,” on the first day of class, I introduced the topic of the class and myself. However, before I gave students the syllabi, I confessed that I knew little about music. I told them I Googled and YouTubed, and read our text to gain knowledge about protest songs. I told them the “Rhetoric of Protest Songs” was a writing class, and rhetoric means persuasion. “In this class, you’ll write academic essays about protest songs. And we’ll listen to some music.”

My …

Stylistic Imitation As An English-Teaching Technique : Pre-Service Teachers’ Responses To Training And Practice, Min Yi Liang

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This action research case study project examines stylistic imitation as an English-Teaching technique and includes (1) a review of literature about the history of stylistic imitation and current college composition practice, (2) an analysis of the close imitation journals which were written by senior English majors and minors by following the model paragraph from Katharine Anne Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (1965), and (3) writers’ comments and reflections on doing stylistic imitation. Stanley Fish (2005) argued: “[s]tudents can’t write clean English sentences because they are not being taught what sentences are” (as cited in Stodola, 2013, p. 57). Lacking …

Delivery, Facilitas, And Copia : Job Market Preparation And The Revival Of The Fifth Canon., Joseph Turner

Faculty Scholarship

This essay argues that English Studies departments should implement training programs in oral delivery strategies for graduate students seeking tenure track employment. A sample a 13-week training program, modeled on elements of classical rhetorical pedagogy, can help students develop and refine stills in oral delivery necessary for academic job interviews.

Towards A Critical Game Based Pedagogy, Justin K. Egan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis outlines and examines core concepts of game-based learning as identified by James Paul Gee, and Kurt Squire, among other scholars. These findings are then connected to the contemporary, transformative threshold concepts of composition—as explored in Naming What We Know. This connection seeks to argue game-based pedagogy may be an invaluable tool for introducing critical perspectives to composition students in order to better equip them with critical thinking strategies and cultural critiques, while improving their writing skills. A theoretical framework is presented in the form of four “Pillars” of a Critical Game-Based Pedagogy: Literacy, Identity, Social Learning, and Multimodality—all …

Emergence: Developing Worldview In The Environmental Humanities, Rhonda D. Davis

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

While the environment has long played a role in humanistic expressions and investigations, the need for a more integrated look at the human-environment relationship has become ever more pressing. More than ever, humanities scholars are recognizing their ability to mobilize critical and creative action to address pressing socioeconomic, sociopolitical, and socioenvironmental problems. Teaching and engaging students through interdisciplinary methods, connecting students and communities, developing a sense of agency and responsibility for planetary sustainability has become a visible focus in higher education. My study aimed to understand how an environmental humanities class affects, if at all, the way students construct worldview. …

Publishing For Transfer: Notes Toward An Editorial Pedagogy For The Transfer-Based Writing Program, Marcos A. Hernandez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Scholarly journals dedicated to publishing first-year writing have cropped up at a number of four-year universities in the U.S. over the last two decades. Invariably established and run by the university’s writing program, these highly localized journals are meant to showcase the exemplary research and writing that students are doing in their introductory writing courses. Yet, while these publishing projects are nobly undertaken for students, the publications themselves are seldom edited by students. Here arises a golden opportunity for the transfer-based writing program to promote transfer of knowledge and practice in writing beyond the FYC course. This project argues that …

Exploring Diversity With A "Culture Box" In First-Year Legal Writing, Ann N. Sinsheimer

Articles

Studying law is in many ways like studying another culture. Students often feel as though they are learning a new language with unfamiliar vocabulary and different styles of communication. Throughout their legal education, students are also exposed to a profession comprised of unique traditions and expectations. As a result, learning law takes time and energy. It can be both engaging and frustrating and may even challenge some of students’ values and belief systems. To ease her students’ transition to law school, the author starts her course each year with a “culture box” exercise, which encourages students to examine who they …

Rhetorics Of Functionally Applicative Game Design: Designing And Testing The Project Management Game Scrummage, Matthew Carson Beale

English Theses & Dissertations

In this project, I designed and tested Scrummage, a tabletop game to teach the scrum project management system to undergraduate students. The project grew from the gaps in both academic literature and pedagogical tools for project management and collaboration in the technical communication classroom. Although the field of technical communication places significance on project management, research shows that many employers find the project management skills and knowledge of recent graduates to be under-developed. Situated in the fields of game design, game studies, project management, and technical communication, this project asks how we as educators can improve the project management learning …