Balancing Institutional Demands with Effective Practice: A Lesson in Curricular and Professional Development

ABSTRACT

Online writing courses have developed in importance to meet student learning and institutional expectations; over time, a controversy about training online instructors and building sustainable programs has emerged. This article relates training demands within the University of Arizona’s Writing Program and development of an online professional & technical writing certificate. The article proposes training instructors with master courses and building a sustained program through a participatory design to create a professional and integrated environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Master course
• online training
• participatory design
• sustainability
• online writing instruction

Notes

1. In 2013 the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication adopted A Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Practices for Online Writing Instruction (OWI) (CCCC, 2013). The statement includes 15 principles. We reference them in this document by using “OWI Principle #” including the full statement the first time we reference it.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rochelle Rodrigo

Rochelle (Shelley) Rodrigo—assistant professor and associate director of online writing in the Department of English at the University of Arizona. She is coauthor of three books, including Rhetorically Rethinking Usability (Hamilton Press), and her work has also appeared in Computers & Composition, Journal of Interactive Technology & Pedagogy, and Enculturation.

Cristina D. Ramírez

Cristina D. Ramírez—assistant professor in rhetoric, composition and the teaching of English at the University of Arizona. She is the author of the book Occupying Our Space: The Mestiza Rhetorics of Mexican Women Journalists & Activists, 1875–1942 (University of Arizona Press). She is the professional and technical writing course director and has published research in College English and Journal of Homeland Security Education.