Dave Clark, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, “Do Our Beliefs Scale? Writing Pedagogy and Massive Online Courses”

Stuart Selber, Penn State University, and Michael Faris, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, “iPads in the Technical Communication Classroom: A Research Update and Heuristic”

About 18 attendees.

CLARK

Clark has shifted the topic he's presenting on: he's cut out the MOOCs. Presentation focuses on the Wisconsin Flex degree; he is helping develop the writing program within the UW Flex Degree. Clark differentiates Flex from MOOC and indicates that Flex is the opposite of a MOOC: Flex is self-paced not scheduled. (Slide had three to five other points).

Shared element of Flex & MOOCs: Potentially enormous scale.

"Competency-based instruction" (CBI) terms/language seems coupled to Flex. CBI is not new, but the language is reemerging and pundits are presenting competency-based instruction as new & revolutionary. The language and framing of this is centered around the claim that there is not enough content; Clark states content is not the problem. Clark reviews popular press responses to Flex and MOOCs--lots of hysteria and misinformation is out there.

He provides depressing insights into how the Flex process is suffering from a lack of information. (slide with points) Reviews the driving assumptions behind the Flex process. (slide with points) Shows administration-heavy structure. Presents roughly ten issues which are being overlooked and/or ignored in the process. Closes with what he is working on--writing and communication--within the Flex program.

SELBER & FARIS

The study was in its preliminary stages two years ago. An initial session was given two years ago at ATTW. This is the follow up.

They have developed best practices for teaching in computer classrooms. They discuss how their work fits between the global forces of literacy devices, textbooks, and best practices with local forces of literacy practices, pedagogical practices, and infrastructures. In the center were students; they were appropriating, re-appropriating, accommodating, and resisting those practices.

Selber elaborates on how Slack's (2003) Cartography of Affect influenced their approach and research. Selber asserts that Slack implies qualitative research, but she is not specific about how to do that.

Question that interested them:
How does an iPad take on a particular meaning in a technical writing program?

They want to encourage people to research and work with technology locally--look at the local and global forces that are shaping technology use.

Methods they used in research: structured interviews, written reflections, contextual observations, and another that I missed.

Selber shares and discusses the map(s) of technology use locally as well as mapping the forces which influence iPad use. Faris explicates on each of the forces and how they manifested in their local situation.

They found:
iPad was not integrated into their other curriculum;
students were using iPad and other technologies to address complex tasks or problems.

They learned:
need to explore and forefront new computing metaphors;
course needs to include a literacy narrative assignment that explores personal writing histories;
teaching and learning practices with new technology can be advanced by integrating it across multiple courses.

How does this material inspire you to rethink your approach to the topic?

Did this prompt any fresh ideas for proposals for next year's conference?