Teaching Portfolio of Kristi Morris

Table of Contents

Statement of Teaching Philosophy 1

Diversity Statement 4

Sample Syllabi 7

Sample 1 (Introduction to College Writing) 7

Sample 2 (Technical Communication I.) 21

Sample 3 (Community and Writing) 42

Evidence of Instructional Design, Innovation, Instructional Delivery, Course Management, & Student Learning in Sample Syllabus 3: Community and Writing………………………………………………………………………………...56

Teaching Video: Compilation of Instruction in Community and Writing………………………………………………….58

How Pedagogical Research Informed the Teaching of Community and Writing………………………………...………..59

Student Evaluations…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..60

Introduction to College Writing…………………………………………………………………………………………….60

Intermediate College Writing……………………………………………………………………………………….………61

Peer Observations………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….62

Intermediate College Writing………………………………………………………………………………….………..….62

Community and Writing……………………………………………………………………………………….………..….71

I have three objectives for my Composition students: 1) to build community amongst themselves in the classroom, 2) to interrogate model texts and employ their writing as a tool to enact change, and 3) to use the writing process, including researching, to find solutions to problems. I know that my students are learning when they get excited about their projects, and they are able to make productive connections between their work inside the classroom to the outside world. Most importantly, students are learning when they recognize they have agency in their writing.

The projects in my college writing courses create authentic learning experiences that activate my students’ prior knowledge and transfer their skills to real world contexts. Students ask questions, think critically, and find answers through a recursive process that ultimately seeks a solution to a problem. Most recently, the students in my Community and Writing course have partnered with a local high school to mentor students in a variety of language arts courses across three grade levels. In addition to one-on-one time with their mentees, my students collected ethnographic notes as qualitative data to use in their individual research projects about linguistic justice. They have identified various issues affecting similarly underrepresented communities of learners within the education system. In the interest of justice, students were able to design research projects that directly addressed stakeholders in the hope of impacting much needed change.

Creating a sense of agency and empowerment in my students is developed by providing options for their work. Students use this freedom to determine personal meaning in their projects; subsequently, students are more invested in and motivated to work. Once each student has asserted autonomy over their work, the class comes together to share their perspectives and plans. These pedagogical strategies contribute to community-building in my classroom. Students are supported in becoming knowledge-makers through their writing practices, synchronizing their personal experiences and preferred modes of communication. It is valuable for them to participate in learning communities where they work alongside peer mentors and share their student projects in public showcases that evidences how their work contributes to larger conversations. Not only is student writing measured according to its effectiveness in public spaces, but more importantly I use labor-based grading contracts whereby I work closely with students to assure they meet the goals they set for themselves. I also developed an evaluation system where I provide video recordings of my final assessment for each student project to honor the working relationships we have developed and maintain my commitment to their growth as writers (as shown in teaching video). I have found this method is far more effective than written feedback, because I speak directly to each student about the ways their work has met the learning objectives of the course and their unique contribution to our writing community.

My course policies support flexible composing processes and hybrid genres that prove more organic for diverse student writer populations. Students perform reflective writing where they must self-check: how are they reaching broader audiences through their words and projects? Students work through project iterations by creating storyboards, sketches, and media recordings in order to produce podcasts, websites, and a variety of social media genres that position them to make valuable contributions to modern public discourse with the hope of change. A design-focused approach to college writing classroom enables students to recognize the value of process over the product, the promotion of their identity and voice, and provide them with options all of which are student-centered practices. Moreover, these actions perform antiracist pedagogy that strengthens the inclusive learning space where all of my students feel self-directed, valued, and heard.

Text Box: Diversity Statement

Although I have outlined my community-based efforts in the teaching philosophy, in this statement I will reframe how this work is most significantly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Using a design-focused approach to the college writing classroom allows me to emphasize process over product, promote student identity and voice, and provide options to students. These actions perform antiracist pedagogy by being student-centered and build an inclusive learning space where all students can feel self-directed, valued, and heard. My lesson plans evidence the value and activation of students’ prior knowledge, especially in iterative digital projects where students assert their position by addressing an audience outside of academia. Similarly, my motives extend beyond the classroom and reach into my work in mentoring, professional development, and curriculum development, whereby I support the implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion in program-wide initiatives. Below, I have identified three tenets that direct my work and hold me responsible for providing welcoming spaces for my students, fellow faculty, and university partners.

Elevating Student Identity & Language Diversity in Writing Projects

My writing course curricula are the foundation for enacting antiracist pedagogy. I am deliberate about selecting course readings that represent diverse authors as well as a variety of texts, modes and genres to support students in connecting with course materials. In reflecting on the purpose for their multimodal project (performance art) in my Introduction to College Writing course at Wayne State University, a former student explained that they recognized Black students “had a presence here…and I wanted to do something that was sentimental to me, but also something that represented the demographic of the pre-nursing students that were in the class.” The student felt empowered to address issues of race in a project based on performative rhetoric, because they were given the choice and flexibility to explore personal issues of their choosing. Instead of inequitable grammar and conventions expectations, my project evaluations are directly aligned with course outcomes and project objectives that are focused on rhetorical skills and the writing process. Labor-based grading contracts require students to set personal goals for their projects and achieve such by focusing on effort, feedback, and revision. I maintain fair grading practices that consider diverse student writers as well as design lessons and projects based on the needs and wants of the students.

Amplifying Unique Student Projects Through Writing Showcases

I amplify students’ perspectives and voices in an effort to support their individuality and diversity. My participation in the Composition Learning Community (CLC) bi-annual Student Showcase at Wayne State has celebrated student work from writing courses focused on academic, technical and professional, discipline-specific, multimodal, and digital writing. Students have a chance to discuss their projects through mini presentations for student and faculty attendees from other disciplines. More importantly, the student presenters can peruse work from other CLC classes and engage in generative conversations about the socio-political, economic, and religious issues they interrogate through the projects. When I am unable to provide opportunities for my students to showcase their research and work, I seek other institutional and public symposiums that I might suggest for their work. I have observed that students inevitably lose excitement and motivation for their projects without the space to share their work and network with broader audiences. In the future, I am interested in developing university student showcases organized around themes such as culture and language. I plan to collaborate with students, especially first-generation and marginalized college students so that the themes are addressed ethically, respectfully and with authenticity. Giving marginalized student writers a platform is a valuable opportunity to build diversity in such learning communities and related events.

Sustaining Partnerships with Underrepresented Communities to Promote Literacy

I recognize that my work is not confined to the boundaries of my classroom, and it is imperative that I build partnerships with local K-12 schools and educational organizations in the interest of better writing instruction for students. Having served as an English Language Arts teacher at Fordson High School (Dearborn), a predominantly Muslim student body of first- and second-generation students, I am aware of the unique educational needs of English Language Learners. Now, as a post-secondary instructor at an institution with the most diverse student body in Michigan, I value that educators across all levels of instruction can and should work together to bridge gaps in students’ literacy instruction. Partnerships between educators can work toward better solutions for developing stronger student readers and writers. Moreover, these partnerships can produce much needed teacher training programs, curriculum development, and special services. Presently, I have continued work with an existing partnership with Cass Technical High School (Detroit). Wayne State University students provided mentorship to Cass Technical High School student writers in English Language Arts courses, where the learning was reciprocal. In addition to Cass Technical students having extra guidance for their writing projects, Wayne State students were able to observe and collect research about the reality of linguistic justice in the classrooms. Going forward, I will sustain K-12 partnerships in an effort to service underrepresented student communities.

(Sample 1) Introduction to College Writing (Wayne State University, ENG 1020)

Instructor: Kristi Morris, Email: aj8067@wayne.edu

Office: 9312, 5057 Woodward, 9^th floor English Department

Instructor Office Hours: Tuesdays 9:40-10:40am in office listed AND by appointment

Peer Mentor: Megan D. Email:

Mentor Office Hours: Tuesdays 6-7pm via Zoom

https://wayne-edu.zoom.us/j/98096146883?pwd=dUpETmJLTC85Q24ydkIrY2FBTHJGdz09 (Links to an external site.) (Passcode: 033090)

Objectives

The Introductory College Writing course functions as the site for postsecondary literacy instruction: reading and writing for general academic purposes, writing across the curriculum (WAC), and writing to participate as a citizen. Contemporary society has become increasingly less text-centric and instead turned toward the use of imagery as a primary vehicle for communication. As such, citizens routinely consume multimodal messages making it essential to be able to draw from various semiotic resources. Thus, we will emphasize the importance of multiliteracy and the demand for multiple modalities to communicate effectively in various contexts. Exposed to a flood of new ideas and concepts, this class is uniquely positioned to think about how we can participate in such discourse. We can enter into “conversations” to make viable contributions. Participating in broader dialogic/ discursive landscape, instead of merely composing for a singular audience (the instructor), will help make our work meaningful.

Department of English Description

Building upon students’ diverse skills, English 1020 prepares students for reading, research, and writing in college classes. The main goals of the course are (1) to teach students to consider the rhetorical situation of any piece of writing; (2) to have students integrate reading, research, and writing in the academic genres of analysis and argument; and (3) to teach students to develop analyses and arguments using research-based content, effective organization, and appropriate expression and mechanics. To achieve these goals, the course places considerable emphasis upon the relationship between reading and writing, the development and evaluation of information and ideas through research, the genres of analysis and argumentation, and the use of multiple technologies for research and writing.

WSU Undergraduate Bulletin Description

Cr 3. Prereq: placement through ACT score, SAT/EBRW score, English Qualifying Examination, or passing grade in ENG 1010. A course in reading, research, and writing skills that prepares students to write successfully in college classes.

Course Placement for ENG 1020

Students are placed into ENG 1020 by different means. See the ENG 1010/1020 placement rules at https://bulletins.wayne.edu/undergraduate/college-liberal-arts-sciences/english/placement/

General Education Designation

With a grade of C or better, ENG 1020 fulfills the General Education Basic Composition (BC) graduation requirement. Successful completion of Basic Composition is a prerequisite to enrolling in courses that fulfill the General Education IC (Intermediate Composition) requirement for graduation (e.g., ENG 3010, 3020, 3050, etc.).

Learning Outcomes

Rhetorical Agency

-Use metacognition to monitor a student’s own composition process

-Evaluate a student’s own linguistic and rhetorical choices

-Demonstrate critical awareness of the rhetorical uses of linguistic diversity

Rhetorical Responsibility

-Analyze the arguments, purpose, context, genre conventions, and audience in college-

level artifacts

-Compose arguments that actively participate in critical conversations

-Integrate credible, relevant sources in ethical ways

Rhetorical Flexibility

-Use invention strategies to craft situation-specific solutions for various composition

tasks

-Adapt genre conventions and linguistic choices to compose persuasive artifacts that

address different rhetorical situations and audiences

-Employ multimodal composition strategies to design artifacts that are accessible to

multiple audiences

Rhetorical Revision

-Revise artifacts according to the conventions of specific rhetorical genres

-Revise artifacts to make them appropriate for new audiences and contexts

-Use a multi-step, reflective composition process

Key Terms

Rhetoric- the art of effective speaking or writing

Rhetorical Situation- any set of circumstances that involves at least one person using some sort of communication to modify the perspective of at least one other person.

Artifact- an object or thing made by a human, typically an item of cultural significance

Semiotics- the study of signs and symbols and their use

Mode- how something is experienced or expressed

Multimodality- using multiple means to express, capture, and communicate thought

Design- the making of a meaningful thing through the activation of multiple senses and by selecting the tools to do so

Prototype- a preliminary model of something from which other forms are developed

Accessibility- enabling access to audiences and users that ensures that there are no barriers to prevent interaction

“The Conversation”- a broader dialogue about a topic or issue that is taken up in various media and modalities by rhetors

Affordance- the quality of an object or thing that makes clear if and how it can be used

Constraint- a limitation or restriction

Consumer- (audience) an individual or group who take and use a product or thing

Producer- (rhetor, writer, designer) an individual or group who makes a product or thing for use

CLC: A Composition Learning Community

The Composition Learning Community (CLC) supports students at the beginning of their college experience to help them see the value and application of college writing. The mission of the program is "building a community within which students talk about, talk through, and reflect on the lived experience of Composition at Wayne State University." The CLC's goal is "to support students' enculturation and engagement in general education composition courses." Through additional support in and out of the classroom, the CLC will help students to succeed in college writing with the help of their peer mentors. This LC serves students in ENG 1010, ENG 1020, ENG 3010, ENG 3020, and ENG 3050. Students in CLC classrooms present their work over the semester in an end-of-the-semester Writing Showcase where fellow students, peer mentors, instructors, and faculty come together to view and discuss student writing and learning. (excerpted from Learning Communities View - Learning Communities - Wayne State University)

During the fall 2022 semester, the CLC Student Writing Showcase is scheduled for Friday, December 9^th from 12 to 2pm (location/format TBD). Students in this section of ENG 1020 will be required to participate by selecting a project designed during the semester. More details to follow. Feel free to check out the CLC site and get a better idea of what it’s all about:

Home (google.com)

Projects/ Project Units

Students should plan to explore a single topic/issue/concept for the duration of the semester; however, this is not required. In other words, all four projects would benefit the student most if they were each centered on the same topic/issue/concept, but in different ways, from different perspectives, and for different purposes. To visualize how much work students are being asked to produce, for each project, please see the sections detailing Project Builders (PB) and Design Journals (DJ).

*For a page with 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and minimal spacing elements, a good rule of thumb is 500 words for a single-spaced page and 250 words for a double-spaced page.

Project 1: Making a Thing (Process & Modality), Weeks 1-3 (1^st Unit), Due 9/19

*roughly 1500 words

Students who choose to design an artifact that is predominantly image-driven, will be required to compose 1000 words (in addition to the 500 words in the Design Journal). This writing will be done in the form of annotations that focus on the designer’s process and rationale for rhetorical choices. We will discuss structure and organization once your project gets moving along (protype phase- PB1). Each student will need to determine a method to annotate that does not interfere with the integrity of the artifact.

Rationale and Description: A deep dive into rhetorical situation with a focus on designing an artifact for a specific (academic) audience. Building up to the artifact, we will take an in-depth look at the composing/designing process. We will work through how the composing and designing processes mirror one another. When we compose something, we try to capture our thoughts and feelings in a material thing that we may share with others. So, in this project, we are foremost asking ourselves to identify what we feel most compelled to say. The next task will require you to determine an angle for handling the subject matter. For example, do you intend to inform others? Satirize? Refute or challenge a position or perspective? Finally, you will design a means to say it. Your intended audience will be our class (both students and instructor).

Week 1- Discussion Points: Objects, artifacts, & culture, The rhetoric of everyday things

Classroom Activities: Locating and discussing sites of rhetoric- “the selfie,” logos and

brands, social media posts and threads, and composing an

autoethnography.

Week 2- Discussion Points: Modal affordances & aptness, shifting modality, audience, and the

design process to anticipate responses (both intended and

unintended)

Classroom Activities: Analyzing Stranger Things, Kate Bush, and Tik Tok

Reframing everyday sites of rhetoric for academic spaces

Week 3- Discussion Points: Aligning composing & designing

Classroom Activities: Charting “moves” made by creators, Mapping relationships

across fields and disciplines, Peer Review Day

Project 2: Pulling a Thing Apart (Analysis and Accessibility), Weeks 4-8 (2^nd Unit), Due 10/23

*roughly 2200 words

Rationale and Description: We will continue our discussion of rhetoric in order to perform an analysis of various elements, strategies, and appeals in an artifact. We will also think about how circulation (media), distribution, and accessibility affect its design. In a way, we are revisiting some of the thinking and working we did in our 1^st project. Instead of creating, we are analyzing features to better understand how an artifact performs or embodies a thing. You will be asked to select an artifact to work with for the duration of the project. This artifact may take many different forms, but it should address a topic or issue of which you have a genuine interest. It may be a set of song lyrics, a piece of creative writing (no more than 8-10 pages of text), an act within a play, an advertisement or PSA, a meme, a social media posting/ full thread, a scene from a film, a music video, cover art for a book or album, a brief article or editorial, a video/visual essay, a comic strip, a TikTok, an illustrated children’s book, etc. Then, in a series of writing segments, you will draft a rhetorical analysis that makes a claim about the effectiveness of the artifact. Each segment of writing will focus on one of the following (minimum of 4/400-500 words each): rhetorical situation, audience, argument/ position, rhetorical strategies (appeals, logical fallacies, grammatical structures), design and layout features, narrative structure, elements of color and shape, sound/rhythm/tone, gesture and style, patterns, point of view, clothing/apparel/style, and/or settingg.

Week 4- Discussion Points: Aristotelean Appeals, Logical fallacies

Classroom Activities: Class discussion of advertisements and marketing campaigns

Week 5- Discussion Points: Affect theory, ISAs, Visual elements

Classroom Activities: Watching This is America and analyzing features, Reading a

model text together

Week 6- Discussion Points: Circulation & Distribution

Classroom Activities: Identifying genres and genre conventions

Week 7- Discussion Points: Issues of accessibility

Classroom Activities: Analysis of public materials to address the Flint Water Crisis,

Peer Review Day

Week 8- Discussion Points: Developing accessible artifacts

Classroom Activities: Excerpts and samples of Twitter and ALT text for discussion

Project 3: Discussing Things (Argumentation), Weeks 9 to 12 (3^rd Unit), Due 11/20

*roughly 2700 words

Our work will focus on argumentation in public, social, and/or digital spaces. We will think about modality (written text versus oral debate) and best practices such as rhetorical listening and empathy. You will be asked to develop an argument in the form of a.) a written essay b.) a script for a debate between two individuals (online or in-person) and audio-recorded or c.) a narrative of a public meeting using dialogue structure. First, you will must choose a topic or issue to argue. It is important that you choose a topic or issue of which you have some foundational knowledge (now is not the time to take up a cause for which you know nothing about except the name itself). Then, you will determine a space where it is meaningful, relevant and impactful to circulate such an argument. How might seeing, reading or hearing this argument affect the audience?

Week 9- Discussion Points: Sharing a perspective, Rhetorical listening

Classroom Activities: Defining the term argument, Watching, reading and reacting to

ways that people argue/ dispute facts (film)

Week 10- Discussion Points: Reading the room, Empathy

Classroom Activities: What if scenarios and justifications

Week 11- Discussion Points: Gathering and organizing evidence, Statistics and facts v. anecdotal

evidence, Building ethos

Classroom Activities: Categorizing information and mapping, Peer Review Day

Week 12- Discussion Points: Recognizing weak arguments and assertions

Classroom Activities: Grouped discussions of Twitter feeds, Late Show commentary

Project 4: Putting a Thing Back Together, Better (Design), Weeks 13-final (4^th Unit), Due 12/20

*Multimodal project/ requirements below

The final project/ artifact will be a culmination of the ideas and concepts explored in the first three project units. This artifact, in particular, will show how you design a purposeful, multimodal artifact in a public space. Design a multimodal text that shares your perspective from Project 3 with a broad public audience. Just like real-world designers, you are tasked with a “problem to solve.” The target audience for your multimodal text is a popular (non-academic) audience of your choice. You should select a target audience based on your intended purpose. For example, if your purpose is to inform, then your audience will be an uninformed audience. If your purpose is to encourage action, you should imagine an audience that is already familiar with your topic. Further, the genre you choose will influence what audiences have access to your information and/or artifact. The multimodal text’s format is not restricted to any singular mode or method of delivery.

The possibilities include, but are not limited to:

· Podcasts (10 minutes)

· Informational posters or advertising campaign (series of 4 posters)

· PSAs (5 minutes)

· Visual essays (10-12 stills)

· TedTalk (10 minutes)

· Slideshow with narration (10-12 slides)

· TikTok (3 minutes)

· Collage or montage (minimum of 15-20 elements)

· An infographic PSA (2 pages)

· An Instagram-style infographic (10 slides)

· A YouTube video (10 minutes)

· An animated video (3 minutes)

· A craft, textile, or handmade object (1-2)

Week 13- Discussion Points: The project pitch and anticipating audience response(s)

Classroom Activities: Role-Play scenarios, Games by trial and error

Week 14- Classroom Activities: Workshop

Week 15- Discussion Points: TBD

Classroom Activities: Peer Review Day

Finals Week- Work remotely

Project Builders

To build toward each of the 4 projects, you will complete intermittent writings called Project Builders (PB). In others words, these smaller pieces build toward the bigger stuff. PB 1-4, as listed below, will be found under the assignments on our Canvas site. You will submit your work there to earn completion and receive feedback. The DJ will also be found as an assignment on our site. However, it is a separate, but living artifact that you will design and use to capture your composing process and reflections.

Each of the 4 Projects will have 4 requirements:

Requirement 1- PB1 will be the development of a prototype. You will draft the 1^st iteration of

your project. (40 points- 10/project)

Requirement 2- PB 2 will ask that you circulate a draft of your project with a peer group/focus

group, for feedback, that should support revisions in the final iteration of

the project. (40 points- 10/ project)

Requirement 3- PB3 will be a set of your annotations, justifying the revisions on your final

iteration. (40 points- 10/project)

Requirement 4- DJ, or the Design Journal, will be maintained throughout each of the four projects. You will create a minimum of 5 entries for each project, roughly 100 words per entry, totaling 500 words per project, and 2000 across the semester. You should decide early on how you want your DJ to look and what modality makes you most comfortable. You can create a handmade, material journal or a digital copy to be shared via a link with me. I advise that if you choose to create a handmade journal, then you should take digital pictures of each entry to share with me via attachments in your assignment submission. This will preserve the integrity of the journal and make it much easier to “turn-in.” You can work ahead in the DJ during a project. However, it will be difficult to catch up, if you fall behind in entries. We are maintaining a consistent and rigorous pace of work to complete the 4 projects. (80 points- 20/project)

Each of the 4 Projects will have the following 5 entry requirements:

DJ-1 State the potential problem that you seek to solve or address. Then, strategize/ conceptualize how you plan to develop your project. This ideation phase may also materialize through a storyboard.

DJ-2 Share sources of inspiration for your project. These should be elements of the project, instead of the whole. For example, you might work on topics, issues, point of view, fonts, colors, organizing features, etc. You may conceive of this as a mood board with explanations or annotations.

DJ-3 Provide examples that show how others have attended to the same or similar problems. Instead of elements, in the last entry, you will show whole works or artifacts. You should also provide brief critiques. What is working? What is not?

DJ-4 Create an artist’s statement that emphasizes or summarizes the most important points in your project. Include a brief rationale for your choices. For what or whom is the project intended? Did that change during the process? Explain.

DJ-5 Reflect on the effectiveness of the final iteration of the project. Explain or show what you may do differently in a future iteration.

Formats and Submission

· Essayistic documents must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman typeface, and one-inch margins. MLA citation format.

· Assignments MUST be submitted electronically through Canvas. Do NOT send me your work in an email or email attachment, unless you have discussed this with me beforehand. Instead, use each of the assignments created in Canvas. Please be aware late work will NOT be given feedback, so be mindful of the due date and time especially if you NEED some guidance. Canvas submissions will CLOSE after 1 minute of the deadline.

· All essays will be evaluated through plagiarism software provided at the time of submission.

· Please put your last name and a page number in the top, right-hand corner of your documents (a page header).

· Artifacts, that are not essayistic documents, should follow expectations and formatting set forth in the project description.

WSU Grading Scale:

A: 94-100%                B-: 80-83%                 D+: 67-69%
A-:90-93%                  C+: 77-79%                D: 64-66%
B+: 87-89%                C: 74-76%                  D-: 60-63%
B: 84-86%                  C-: 70-73%                 F: 59% or less

A grade of C (74%) or better fulfills the General Education BC requirement and the prerequisite for General Education WI courses.

Grade Breakdown

Project 1: Making a Thing	150 points/ 15% Grade Contract
Project 2: Pulling a Thing Apart	150 points/ 15% Grade Contract
Project 3: Discussing Things	250 points/ 25% Grade Contract
Project 4: Putting a Thing Back Together	250 points/ 25% Grade Contract
Project Builders (3/Project)	120 points/ 12% Completion Score
Class Activities & Mini Assignments	80 points/ 8% Completion Score
Total:	1000 points

This course will use a contract grading system based in writing and research labor. For each project (1-4), I will outline the specific tasks and expectations. You will, in turn, be invited to determine what grade you are capable of earning for the work expected. For each of the 4 large-scale projects, you will be given a due date to submit your “contracted grade” to me. I will record your proposed contract grade until the project is complete.

2) Your labor will be “tracked” in the timely submissions of Project Builders, your participation in-class, and the efforts shown in your Design Journal. I will also pay particular attention to the ideas you express in our meetings and conferences. Hopefully, you will learn to be meta-aware of the writing/designing moves you begin to make in this course.

B grades, “Above Average” according to the university scale, indicate you are meeting the labor expectations for the tasks associated with each of the 4 projects.

The expectations for “Excellent” work in the class (what the university calls a B+, A-, or A) includes that you meet the grading contract (you decided upon) for each of the above 4 projects and additionally meeting deadlines for submitting the PBs.

So I just *do* the tasks or things listed on the assignment for a grade? How do I know they’re “good” enough?

Fulfilling the 4 requirements for each project, including the Design Journal (DJ), are meant to outline your expectations for earning your contracted grade. Project Builder submissions will be marked “complete” or “incomplete.” Note that you will receive an incomplete, if the work is partially complete. I will also provide any feedback or comments that I feel are necessary, during the project, for your ultimate success. If you fail to meet your contracted grade, on a final draft submission, then I will meet with you (or discuss over email) ways of extending your work, in the Project’s DJ entries, to help achieve the grade you initially set as a goal.

So, how is my grade calculated?

You will decide what letter grade you will contract for for each of the 4 projects listed above. Once all of the work is complete, submitted and feedback is provided back to you, I will also include your earned letter grade. Hopefully, you earn what you contract for. You should be well aware of your progress along the way, so the final grade should not be a surprise. At the end of the semester, all 4 projects will be weighted and averaged.

But, you have a point scale in the grading breakdown? How do you get a letter grade?

I will convert your contract grade, a letter grade, into points using the high end of the scale. This allows me to award extra credit more easily. For example, if you contract for a B+ on a 100 point project and you earn a B+, then I will record 89 points in the gradebook.

Feedback and Correspondence

All PBs will be graded and/or commented upon and returned within reasonable time (within a week of submission). Projects may take a couple weeks. Please be patient and understand that if it has taken you weeks to develop and compose such a piece, then it will undoubtedly take me time to adequately assess not only your work but that of the other 20+ students in the course. I will respond to emails as soon as possible, but I ask for 24 hours before you send a follow up/reminder email. All correspondence should be professional in tone, including a salutation and signature line. Emails lacking professionalism may be asked to be re-written. Please communicate with your WSU email account ONLY; emails received from other email accounts will NOT be opened. I prefer that you NOT email me through our Canvas class; I will not routinely check that email. Send along all email correspondence, with professionalism, to my WSU address at aj8067@wayne.edu. Please refer to me as Mrs. Morris, not Professor Morris, Dr. Morris, Kristi or “Prof.”

Attendance

The design of this course is meant to create a dynamic and interactive experience for all its participants. Although we are scheduled to meet 2x’s/ week, personal obligations, unforeseen circumstances and simply life will sometimes prevent this from happening. We are each in unique situations and I am more than happy to be as flexible as possible regarding missed classes. However, I thoughtfully ask that you try to attend as many class meetings as is possible. If you are troubled with extenuating circumstances or feel it is becoming too difficult to complete the course, please contact me as soon as possible. This course section is listed as meeting “on location” and subsequently has not been designed to be completed asynchronously online. I will take daily class attendance, but it is used to inform my knowledge of your exposure to the material. It allows me to better speak with you about assignments and grading. In the event that you do miss a class here or there, please consult our Canvas site especially the “Announcements” and weekly modules. It is also worthwhile exchanging contact information with one or more of your peers. You are responsible for any and all material missed during your absence, unless you have made other arrangements with me.

Participation

To make this course as beneficial as possible, I welcome and encourage your thoughts and insights during our class meetings. In addition, your focused efforts are appreciated in any peer/groupwork. From time-to-time, we will also have online discussion boards, peer review activities, and conferences. Each of these interactive moments are opportunities for you to show me that you are invested in the class and learning.

Respect Policy

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining a respectful learning environment in which to express their opinions. Professional courtesy and consideration for our classroom community are especially important with respect to topics dealing with differences such as race, color, gender and gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, disability, age, and veteran status.

Class Recordings

NO recordings (of any kind) any all-class synchronous meetings, Zoom meetings, office hour “drop-ins,” etc. will be allowed. I will upload and make available any and all approved recordings for your use.

Late Work

Late work on PBs will be accepted; however, I will not provide feedback/guidance. You will simply take a completion for the work. I encourage all of you to complete projects by the due date specified. However, if you are having difficulties, please contact me as soon as possible. Try to email me BEFORE (at least 48 hours prior to) the due date listed on the calendar/syllabus. In your email, I ask that you propose a new due date (which I am allowed to negotiate). If you miss the newly agreed upon due date, the work will no longer be accepted.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is the act of copying work from books, articles, and websites without citing and documenting the source. Plagiarism includes copying language, texts, and visuals without citation (e.g., cutting and pasting from websites). Plagiarism also includes submitting papers (or sections of papers) that were written by another person, including another student, or downloaded from the Internet. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. It may result in a failing grade for the course. Instructors are required to report all cases of plagiarism to the English Department. Information on plagiarism procedures is available in the Department.

A Note about Research Ethics

Within the academic community, we divide the practice of research into two separate kinds of tasks. Research that involves looking at sources authored by other people, often found in a library or on the internet, is called secondary research. You may already be very familiar with this kind of work and you’ll be doing it for several projects in this class. The other kind of research we call original (or sometimes primary) research. Instead of reading someone else’s presentation of knowledge, original research creates or gathers knowledge together in a way that was not done before. For instance, a biologist might conduct an experiment to test the effects of a drug or a fertilizer and write an article to explain her research process and results—again, you’re probably familiar with this kind of research. But some academics, especially those in the social sciences, do original research by gathering stories and knowledge from human participants through interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other methods. You won’t be doing biological experiments in this class, but you may end up using some of these other methods of original research in your projects. As you involve other humans in your research processes, you must respect their rights to maintain their privacy and to choose how and when their information or stories get shared. As members of the academic community, we expect you to be responsible researchers as you gather and disseminate this data, as well as any data obtained through secondary research.

Writing Center

The Writing Center provides individual tutoring consultations free of charge for graduate and undergraduate students at WSU. Tutoring sessions are run by undergraduate and graduate tutors and can last up to 50 minutes. Tutors can work with writing from all disciplines.

Tutoring sessions focus on a range of activities in the writing process – understanding the assignment, considering the audience, brainstorming, writing drafts, revising, editing, and preparing documentation. The Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service; rather, tutors work collaboratively with students to support them in developing relevant skills and knowledge, from developing an idea to editing for grammar and mechanics. To make a face-to-face or online appointment, consult the Writing Center website: clas.wayne.edu/writing

Add/ Drop

The last day to add/drop the course is September 13^th. Please follow all university policies for withdrawing from a class (email me if you have any questions). The last day to withdraw (with no tuition refund) is November 13^th. After this date, no W grades will be given and students will be given a failing grade for the course. Here is a link to the academic calendar: Academic and Registration Calendar 2021-2022 - Office of the Registrar - Wayne State University

Completing a SMART Check at the Welcome Center is mandatory if you are intending to withdraw from a class. Withdrawals can seriously impact your financial aid and progress toward degree completion. Consider carefully before making the decision to withdraw from this course.

Important Dates

No Classes: September 5^th

November 23^rd through 26^th

Last day to Withdraw (no tuition refund): November 13^th

CLC Student Writing Showcase:

Study Day/ No Coursework: December 13^th

Day of Final/ Project 4: December 20^th

Course Grade: December 24^th

Incompletes

No ‘I’ grades will be given in ENG 1020. Students must complete all course projects in order to pass the course.

Student Disability Services

If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with Student Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the Student Academic Success Services department. The SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 or 313-202-4216 for videophone use. Once you have met with your disability specialist, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my office hours to discuss your accommodations. Student Disability Services’ mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University. You can learn more about the disability office at www.studentdisability.wayne.edu.

To register with Student Disability Services, complete the online registration form at:

https://wayne-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/

WSU Resources for Students

· Student Disability Services (SDS) https://studentdisability.wayne.edu/

· Academic Success Center (ASC) -https://success.wayne.edu/

· Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) https://caps.wayne.edu/

· Dean of Students’ Office (DOSO) https://doso.wayne.edu/

· Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence (OMVAE)

https://omvae.wayne.edu/

· Department of English website http://www.clas.wayne.edu/english/

The Weekly Calendar

I will update our weekly calendar from time to time, adjusting assignments and due dates based upon our class’s progress. It is hard to predict what lessons and objectives we will master and those that will require additional time and practice. I also like to make minor adjustments to the projects based upon student input and interests that become reoccurring themes for the class. Therefore, I am providing a drafted outline of the semester. There will be some changes on the horizon, but organizing our tentative due dates onto your own calendar is wise at this time.

Some readings (“consume”), notes/PPTS, and other coursework (“produce”) may not necessarily be available or published on Canvas until the week before (eg. The PDF file for Week 6 may not be uploaded and available until Week 5). It is also important to add that I may change a reading altogether. With that said, I am neither making the entire course, nor all weekly modules available “up front.” Please respect this decision. I am trying to give you access to as much as possible, although we meet face-to-face. I have also seen the issues this creates in keeping everyone on the same schedule, doing the same work, and reading the correct items. You do not have to overly burden yourself; instead, work on what is given to you a week, or a couple weeks, at a time. When I do have documents and links loaded further in advance, I will signal an “Announcement” on Canvas. Be assured that I will also give explicit instructions about how to handle the reading or notes identified on the weekly calendar as they are posted/ uploaded for you (eg. Excerpted sections and/or Perusall annotations).

Fall 2022 ENG 1020

The Weekly Calendar

Week No. and Dates

Concepts & Themes

Consume

Produce

Week 1

Tues- 8/30*First Class

Thurs- 9/1

Language and Me

Sites of Rhetoric

Syllabus

Key Terms

P1 Description

Introduce Myself

Autoethnography

Design Journal

P1 Grade Contract

Due 9/4

Week 2

Tues- 9/6

Thurs- 9/8

Modal affordances & aptness, shifting modality, audience, and the design process to anticipate responses (both intended and unintended)

Visual Rhetoric | Search Results | AIGA Colorado

Use the link above to read all 3 pieces on VR: Gestalt Principles, Tools for Design and Introduction for Students

Student Survey #1

P1 DJ-1 Due 9/6

P1 DJ-2 & 3 Due 9/8

P1 PB-1 Due 9/11

Week 3

Tues- 9/13

Thurs- 9/15*EAA start

“All writers are designers”

*PR Day

P1 PB-2 Due 9/13

PB-3 and DJ-4 Due 9/15

P1 with DJ-5 Due 9/18

Week 4

Tues- 9/20

Thurs- 9/22

Aristotelean Appeals

Logical Fallacies

P2 Description

Notes/ PPT

P2 Grade Contract

Due 9/21

P2 DJ-1 Due 9/22

Week 5

Tues- 9/27

Thurs-9/29

Affect Theory

ISAs

Visual Elements & Terms

Notes/ PPT

P2 DJ-2 Due 9/27

Week 6

Tues- 10/4

Thurs- 10/6

Circulation & Distribution

Johnson, “Contending with Multimodality as a (Material) Process,” 2018 (PDF)

P2 DJ-3 Due 10/4

P2 PB-1 Due 10/6

Student Conference #1

Week 7

Tues- 10/11

Thurs- 10/13

Issues of Accessibility

*PR Day

Notes/ PPT

P2 PB-2 Due 10/13

P2 DJ-4 Due 10/16

Week 8 *Midterm

Tues- 10/18

Thurs- 10/20

Developing Accessible Artifacts

P2 PB-3 Due 10/20

P2 with DJ-5 Due 10/23

Week 9

Tues- 10/25

Thurs- 10/27

Sharing Perspective

Rhetorical Listening

P3 Description

Notes/ PPT

Student Survey #2

P3 Grade Contract

Due 10/26

P3 DJ-1 Due 10/27

Week 10*Halloween

Tues- 11/1

Thurs- 11/3

Reading the Room

Empathy

Dusenberry, Hutter, and Robinson, “Filter. Remix. Make.: Cultivating Adaptability Through Multimodality,” 2015 (PDF)

Notes/ PPT

P3 DJ-2 & 3 Due 11/1

P3 PB-1 Due 11/7

Week 11

Tues- 11/8 *Election Day

Thurs- 11/10

Gathering and organizing evidence,

Statistics and facts v. anecdotal evidence,

Building ethos

*PR Day

Notes/ PPT

P3 PB-2 Due 11/10

P3 DJ-4 11/13

Week 12

Tues- 11/15

Thurs- 11/17

Recognizing weak arguments and assertions

P3 PB-3 Due 11/17

P3 with DJ-5 Due 11/20

Week 13

Tues- 11/22

Thurs- 11/24*Thanksgiving

Pitching a project

Anticipating responses

P4 Description

P4 Grade Contract

Due 11/22

P4 DJ-1 Due 11/27

Week 14

Tues- 11/29

Thurs- 12/1

Orr, Blythman, and Mullin, “Designing Your Writing/Writing Your Design: Art and Design Students Talk About the Process of Writing and the Process of Design,” 2006 (PDF)

Excerpt from Marback, “Embracing Wicked Problems: The Turn to Design in Composition Studies,” 2009 (PDF)

P4 PB-1 Due 12/1

P4 DJ-2 & 3 Due 12/4

Student Conference #2

Week 15

Tues- 12/6

Thurs- 12/8*Last Class

Lecture TBD

*PR Day

P4 PB-2 Due 12/6

Student Survey #3

Finals Week 12/14- 12/20

ENG 1020 Project #4 to be submitted by or on Tues- 12/20 along with PB-3, DJ-4, and DJ-5

(Sample 2) Technical Communication I. (Wayne State University, ENG 3050)

Instructor: Kristi Morris E-mail: aj8067@wayne.edu

Office: 5057 Woodward Room #9305.4 (9^th floor)

Office Hours: By Appointment (request via direct email)

Peer Mentor: Ma’Idah S.

Department of English Description

ENG 3050 prepares students for reading, researching, writing, and designing technical documents. While some technical writing addresses a general audience (e.g., instructions), technical documents are often written for multiple audiences with different specializations (e.g., technical reports for executives and implementers). Technical documents incorporate both textual (writing) and visual (graphics, illustrations, etc.) elements of design, so we will use the term “multimodal artifacts.”

WSU Undergraduate Bulletin Description

Cr 3. Instruction in basic technical writing skills. Requirements include writing summaries, letters, memos, instructions, and technical reports. Topics include audience and purpose analysis, textual and visual aspects of technical document design, and formatting.

Course Prerequisite for ENG 3050

To enroll in ENG 3050, students must have completed their WSU Basic Composition (BC) requirement (ENG 1020 or equiv.) with a grade of C or better.

General Education Designation

With a grade of C or better, ENG 3050 fulfills the General Education IC (Intermediate

Composition) graduation requirement. Successful completion of Intermediate Composition (IC) with a grade of C or better is a prerequisite to enrolling in courses in the major that fulfill the General Education WI (Writing Intensive) requirement for graduation. More information on the General Education requirements is available from the WSU Undergraduate Bulletin.

Learning Outcomes

Writing and Designing

Write effectively as individuals and in teams in standard genres of technical writing (including summaries, professional correspondence, resumes, instructions, technical descriptions, reports, and performance assessments), including the appropriate use of grammar, mechanics, style, and document design for formal and informal documents and standard conventions of citation and documentation.

Reading and Analyzing

Read, analyze, and evaluate the design of, and the audience(s) and purpose(s) for, technical documents, including text, visuals, format, usability, citation, documentation, and mechanics.

Researching and Documenting

Design and conduct primary and secondary research; evaluate appropriate sources in support of composing technical documents.

Using Technology and Media

Make productive use of current technologies for reading, researching, writing, and designing technical documents.

CLC: A Composition Learning Community

During the winter 2024 semester, the CLC Student Writing Showcase is TBD for a date in April to be held in the Community Room located on the 3^rd floor of the David Adamy Undergraduate Library (UGL). Students in this section of ENG 3050 will be required to participate by selecting one of the projects designed during the semester. More details to follow. Feel free to check out the CLC site and get a better idea of what it’s all about:

· Home (google.com)

Technology Policy

You need a device that can use the internet, run MS Office tools (free via Wayne State University’s IT downloads), use Canvas, and have reliable Wi-Fi and processing capacity to stream class meetings. This can be your laptop, desktop, or mobile device. If you need a device or hotspot, we are asking you to reach out to the Dean of Students at doso@wayne.edu or call 313-577-1010.

We will be using several different types of apps in addition to Canvas (Loom, Canva, etc.). Tutorials for the majority of these will be provided before their use either in class or video play or linked clip. Regardless, I recommend investigate further on YouTube and in class if you need clarification and support. For canvas and general IT support, you can reach out to our helpdesk at helpdesk@wayne.edu.

WSU Grading Scale:

Incompletes

Incompletes will not be granted for this course.

This course will use a version of a labor-based grading contract system based on writing and research labor. For each project, I will outline the specific tasks and expectations. You will, in turn, be invited to determine what grade you would like to earn for the work expected (in other words, set a goal for yourself or your group). For each of the large-scale projects, you will be given a due date to submit this contracted grade to me via Canvas assignment window. I will record your proposed contract grade until the project is complete. When I evaluate your final iteration, I will use your contract/goal to guide my expectations.

1) Labor-based assessment aims to de-emphasize and de-center White language privilege reproduced by institutions (see Inoue Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom). As a writing teacher and scholar, I value this work and understand that large-scale change depends on what happens in our individual classrooms. This practice is also important as we are interrogating these institutional practices in our research this semester, so change should happen here and now. There is not one way to write and we are each unique people. We should embrace our differences and invite the various ways that we can speak to each other (talk, text, music, art, etc.).

2) I will keep an “eye” on the timely submissions of small-scale assignments that lead up to the four projects, your participation in-class, and the efforts shown in your overall work. I will pay particular attention to the ideas you share in our class meetings and one-on-one conferences. Hopefully, you will learn to be meta-aware of the mentoring/writing/researching moves you decide to make in this course.

So I just *do* the tasks or things listed on the project description for a grade? How do I know they’re “good” enough?

Homework and in-class tasks will be marked “complete” or “incomplete.” Note that you will receive an incomplete, if the work is only partially complete. In addition to the completion score, I will also provide any feedback or comments that I feel are necessary for your ultimate success on correlating larger projects. My feedback is exclusively based on the learning outcomes and objectives that are set forth in each project (and found explicitly on each project description). You will not find feedback on conventions, grammar, or more traditional elements of writing, unless you specifically ask me for such. If you fail to meet your contracted grade, on a final iteration of the project, then I will meet with you and/or your group (or discuss over email) ways of extending your work to help achieve the grade you initially set as a goal.

So, how is my grade calculated?

You will decide what letter grade you will contract for each of the scaffolded assignments (Parts A-C on Projects 1-4). You will determine this as a group for work associated with Projects 2 and 3. Once work is complete, submitted in Canvas, and my feedback is provided back to you and/or your group, I will award your earned letter grade. Ideally, you and/or your group will earn the desired contract. You and/or your group should be well aware of your progress along the way (through small-scale assignments and routine in-class feedback), so the project grades should not be a surprise. At the end of the semester, all of the projects, your participation and homework completion will be weighted according to the 1000-point scale.

Project Formats and Submission

• Assignments must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman typeface, with one-inch margins. If modality or media demands otherwise, be aware of accessibility for your audience(s).

• Use APA format for citations (including captions, graphs, and appendices), unless otherwise stated in an assignment.

• Assignments MUST be submitted electronically through Canvas. No email attachments will be accepted.

• Insert page numbers in the top, right-hand corner of your text-based assignments (APA format also paper format for pagination acceptable).

• No Google files will be accepted; submissions will generally be .docx, .pdf, or .rtf (if not a website/link/URL). Please see each assignment description for further detail.

Major Projects

Each project (1-3) will be completed in a series of scaffolded mini-assignments (parts A-C for each of 1-3), but Project 4 is all-in-one. You will need to review the larger (overall spirit and rationale) project description documents and any supplementary materials for basic working knowledge of what you are expected to do as each will posted to the Canvas course modules. Students are required to write a minimum of 30-34 pages (8,000-9,000 words) in ENG 3050 (including drafts and informal writing).

You will find some brief and general descriptions of the scaffolded assignments below in order to provide a picture of the scope of work in the course. Again, further pertinent details provided through individual descriptions in the Canvas modules.

Project 1: Job Application Materials (5-6 pages)

**Individual Work

Scaffolded Mini-Assignments:

1A: Job Field Memo 40 points DUE: 1/18

This assignment introduces you to both the industry you’re currently interested in as well as the general memo format. Find a job post, and that will start your initial research to the job field’s industry, current market trends, job descriptions, and professional organizations.

Submission Requirements:

750-850 words OR 1 and ½ pages, 12-point, Times New Roman font, text-based document file (.doc, .pdf, but NOT A GOOGLE DOC or a LINK to GOOGLE DOC), APA for in-text citations, submitted on time to the Canvas assignment, ready to be run through plagiarism software.

Assignment Objectives:

See syllabus page 2 for language on Writing & Designing and Researching & Documenting.

It is imperative that you evidence elements of the genre (memorandum or memo). A template will be provided below for you to use should you like. However, you have flexibility and I encourage you to think about the purpose of the document if you make revisions.

Template:

Top of page 1, centered.

A paper with text and red text

Description automatically generated

*Instead of a report title, please identify this document as “Job Field Memo” (This is merely practice using APA although the document is a memo and would not use such formatting.)

*Follow the title formatting with the sections and body text of the memo below but left-justified (as seen) and use indentations to mark paragraphs. All paragraphs MUST be single-spaced.

TO: Kristi Morris, Instructor

FROM: Student Name, Student

DATE: Submission Date

SUBJECT: _____FILL-IN_____ Industry & Trends Memo

In this 1^st paragraph, you will establish the purpose of this memo which is to inform me about your professional field and how your major prepares you for such work. You might think about articulating points set forth in the position posted (look at the keywords, repeated language, etc.). You should also find some basic overview information on the web (or AI tools) and select the details that illustrate your field best. What picture can you create for me? Then, think about the kinds of tasks and assignments you have completed in core coursework. What kind of long-term work will you be expected to perform? How has your education supported your success and preparedness? What will you do in the next few years at WSU? Specific examples would be ideal here. I’d like for you to draw the connection between education (getting a degree) and fulfilling a job position. In other words, why do you need the degree for your job?

In this 2^nd paragraph, begin by identifying some (2) trends in your field. What has working in your field looked like recently? What realities have reshaped the way that the job is performed? Explain what employee skills have changed and in what ways? For example, COVID impacted the work environment- forcing many to completely work from home or restructure their schedule into partially working on-site and the remainder remotely. The second set of points to make here centers on a couple (2) issues/problems that impact your field. The issues could be personal, socio-economic, political, etc. For example, an issue impacting scholars (professors) is academic freedom, especially in conservative states. Many post-secondary institutions have been forced to remove degree-granting departments such as gender studies. Consequently, professors are losing their jobs and/or being compelled to change their career path. You should identify and explain such issues/problems in your field and include your response to each.

In this 3^rd paragraph, summarize how the first two paragraphs have created a full picture of your professional field. You might say something like, “as you can see…” or “fill-in job allows for…” In essence, try to make a conclusive statement about the importance of the job/ field in everyday life. Be sure that you have touched on all pertinent points for me to understand what it is you are interested in doing. With your memo, could I explain the job and field to someone else? Finally, you should create a small sub-section that identifies attachments and links to pertinent sites and information (minimum 3). You have designing liberties here. Be sure to think about organization, clarity, and accessibility.

1B: Resume and Cover Letter 40 points DUE: 1/25

Resumes and cover letters are necessary artifacts for your job search both in and outside of your academic career. This assignment equips you with both samples you can use and knowledge about the current job search as it evolves. The main focus will regard formatting your resume and cover letter as primary and changeable documents.

Submission Requirements:

1 page resume AND 1-1 ½ page cover letter, text-based document files (.doc, .pdf, but NOT A GOOGLE DOC or a LINK to GOOGLE DOC), both will be cross checked in AI generators

Assignment Objectives:

See syllabus page 2 for language on Writing & Designing and Using Technology and Media

It is imperative that you show consideration for the job posting specifically and employ industry specific jargon. Action verbs and succinct descriptors are also very important. You will have complete flexibility to select the template/ style of resume you would like to use; however, it MUST be industry appropriate. In terms of the cover letter, this document MUST also speak directly to the job posting. You should respond to their needs by showing how your experiences and skill set are a “fit.”

1C: Social Media & Digital Platform Profiles 40 points DUE: 2/6

Assignment Rationale and Explanation: You will undoubtedly use digital tools and the internet at some point in your job search. I mean, think about it, you already have for this class! However, you may not be ready or comfortable with developing a social media profile or platform profile (ex. Linkedin) for yourself at this point in time. That said, it may support your understanding of how such tools operate by interrogating a platform that is directly related to your industry/ field. Moreover, you should familiarize yourself with profiles of professionals that do the job you want and evaluate their effectiveness. What are the trends and patterns with regard to language use, qualities and skills, narrative features, design, etc.?

Submission Requirements:

-1 minute to 1 and ½ minute video recording uploaded to assignment submission

-Must show your face in a reduced size window (much like Zoom or MS Teams).

-Main Screen Navigation must show the 2 profiles (you can think about showing one at a time and scrolling as you narrate OR you can screenshot a side-by-side)

- BOTH profiles MUST be for professional individuals that have the job position you ultimately seek for yourself after you graduate with your degree (not necessarily an internship or a post that you used for 1B).

You will use this link, 22 Great LinkedIn Alternatives for Networking in 2024 (nichepursuits.com), to determine a suitable platform/website to begin your journey or you may actually decide that using LinkedIn is best. This may require you to create an account to access the site; however, you only need to create a basic account with NO FEES. Using the selected platform/ website navigate around it in order to identify 2 individual profiles: (1) effective professional profile and (1) ineffective professional profile. So, what does “effective” mean in the context? Effective means that the profile communicates that the individual is well-suited for the specific position, professional in nature, possesses an accomplished skill set, and that you are learning the expectations associated with success in such a position. That said, an ineffective profile would lack these features and not “sit right” with you. In other words, you would easily see that this individual’s profile is not something you would want to emulate.

You will draft some key points about each of their profiles in order to develop a cohesive and logical essay comparing/ contrasting the profiles (about 1 page or 250 words). You should evidence planning and organization so that your points are easy to follow. Then, you will take the written document to record a brief video where you show the profiles as you compare/contrast them. The organization is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY and PART OF YOUR EVALUATION. Can you determine an effective structure for this task? Refer to the profiles by the individual’s 1^st name only. Be careful about HOW you discuss their profile and maintain professionalism- no comments on physical traits, no sarcasm, and especially no comments that could be perceived as discriminatory in any regard. You should address the following points/features in your comparison and contrast critique:

1. State their job field and position title.

2. Why did you choose their profile? What caught your attention?

3. What is unique, stands out, and/or appears impressive about the individual and their accomplishments?

4. What kind of language is used in the profile? Is there industry specific jargon? Explain.

5. What is their skill set? Is this familiar? Expected? Explain.

6. Is there a feature on the page/ profile that sets it apart from others that you have seen? Explain.

7. If you were a recruiter or hiring manager, what is your professional response to this profile? How might you know if the individual is a good “fit” or someone that you might want to bring on board?

Project 2: Instruction Set & Test Memo (9-11 pages)

**Group Work- organized by field/major

Section 003

Group 1 Mechanical Engineering (6)

Group 2 Finance (4)

Group 3 Computer and Info Science (6)

Group 4: Psych/PA/Poli Sci (3)

Group 5 Civil Eng/ Construction (3)

Section 007

Group 1 Computer Sci (8).

Group 2 Mechanical and Industrial Eng (5)

Group 3 Electrical Eng (5)

Group 4 Marketing (3)

Group 5 BioMed Eng and PreMed (3)

Overall Project Rationale and Objective:

Determine an artifact (object, item, document, etc.) or a process (procedure, steps, action, etc.) used in your field. This artifact or process MUST be something that all members in your group are familiar with and/or have a clear understanding. So, do not get too complicated- keep it simple (entry-level). This is not the time to create a rocket engine or the formula that will help to discover a cure for cancer. For example, in the field of secondary education, teachers write lesson plans for their students to meet learning outcomes. In the practice of medicine and health, doctors analyze test results and draft a patient treatment plan. In the culinary arts, chefs develop recipes and create dishes with special ingredients. Most importantly, these artifacts and processes can always be improved. For example, teachers continuously revise their lesson plans in order to emphasize certain objectives. Restaurant chefs are always trying new methods to prepare a dish in the most efficient way. No one thing or one way ever really stays the same, especially considering new technology. When you think about it, the changes, revisions, and improvements are made to meet the needs and desires of the user/ audience. In the case of the teacher revising their lesson plan document, they do so to better support their student’s learning success. The restaurant chef tries out a new way to roast vegetables so that they can take the final dish from kitchen to table in less time, which makes the customer very happy!

Once your group has selected an artifact or process to use throughout this project, think about how it might be improved upon. How can it be even better? How can the process be more efficient? How can it be used or employed by users outside the field? How can it have a broader appeal and usability (U/X)? I have to emphasize again that you MUST consider that this artifact or process has to be something easily produced or used by other students (outside users). Other students will be asked to “test” your artifact or process, so think about ease and clear communication practice. They will manipulate or use your artifact or follow your direction set for a process through alphanumeric and graphic instructional supplements and/or video tutorials. So, if you ask students to make a thing through your group’s direction set, they have to be able to make it with materials you can provide. You might also consider if your chosen artifact or process can be mimicked with lesser/similar materials- like a prototype. For example, if a group was focused on the IT services within the hospitality industry, then they might create a new means for ordering room service at a hotel. They could develop a new network-based, mobile system that relied on guests to text message instead of using the hotel phone system to place orders. The group would contextualize the new service (process) and explain how it works better than the older technology in 2A. Then, the group would be responsible for developing a quick and easy instructional set/ tutorial for hotel guests to use the new system in 2B. This instructional set/ tutorial would be used by another group of students in our class to “test” usability and provide feedback to the makers for revision for 2C.

You will do all of this work as a team, so that you learn how to collaborate with a diverse group of learners and workers. It forces you to think about each of your strengths and weaknesses and I expect that you are honest with one another so that you can delegate tasks effectively. Working as a team has many benefits in terms of generating ideas and working through the process of elimination by making both practical and rhetorical choices. Having multiple perspectives on your artifact/process also strengthens the viability of your project idea. Early on I will provide your groups with a tracking document to record individual participation, task delegation, and completion. This is meant to ensure student accountability and maintain transparency throughout the project sequence.

Scaffolded Mini-Assignments

2A: White Paper 90 points DUE: 2/15

This (2-3 page) document examines the relevance and function of your chosen artifact or process within the field. Your group must provide basic definitions, establish context, provide examples, copyright/patent information, justify proposed improvements, and identify all materials and tools. All of these requirements demand research, synthesis and writing. This will set up the development of 2B and 2C.

2B: User Documentation/ Instructions 90 points DUE: 3/5

Your group will create the artifact or process from scratch. All groups will compose a working list of instructions (1-2 pages) and some of the groups (those that are making an artifact) will also develop a basic working protype. The medium and mode your group chooses for their instruction sets and/or tutorials are incredibly important in this step. Your group must ensure that each detail has been considered and reviewed. The presentation and design of the instruction sets/ tutorials as well as the artifacts themselves must meet professional standards (within reason due to materials and costs).

2C: User Test Memo/ Teaching 90 points

DUE: 3/12 (based on user-testing in-class on 3/7)

Your group will conduct a preliminary user test within the group in addition to a user test with another group in the class (1 page test). You will review what is necessary for a user test and how that overlaps with teaching usability and functionality. Once you make the suggested revisions, you will present your final instructional set/ tutorial and/or artifact to the whole class and “teach” your peers and I how to use it/do it (presentation slides or visuals required). Your group will produce an end report (4 pages) that reflects the observations and outcomes of the user test (visual or graphic optional), present accountability findings (visual or graphic mandatory), and describe what your group learned (reflection) from the overall process during Project 2 (Parts A, B, and C).

You have completed your artifact, your instruction set and all user-test materials. You have also performed a user-test to gather feedback to inform necessary improvements to your artifact/instruction set. Although you will not move your artifact from the “prototype” phase to a 2^nd iteration, you will in fact report your findings. This means that, as a group, you will analyze the user-tests (from your assigned group) and discuss what this means for your project/artifact. It is less about its success in performing an action or illustrating a concept, but rather your ability to articulate clearly and logically to a group of users how to engage (use) the artifact.

Think about it- if an appliance does not come with a set of directions for both setting up and using the appliance, then you would likely become frustrated and return it as you are unable to USE it. Likewise, if you were asked to set up a membership account online, you would assume that step-by-step instructions would be readily available to minimize error. If not, you would be unable to set up the account and the organization would lose business and revenue.

Your group memo should take the form of a formal, empirical report (text-based document). Each section should be organized to move from general statements to specific descriptions and details; this maintains a descending order of priority throughout. Compose an empirical report using the following sections. You MUST include a proper APA title page as well as all of the headings as you develop the document.

Title page setup (apa.org)

*Note that on the “author” line, I want ALL names of group members listed.

Headings (apa.org)

*Note that there are 2 levels of headings in this document.

student-paper.docx (live.com)

*Sample doc (not exact, but close)

Template:

I. Narrative ( 1 ¼ pages)

A. Introduction: What is your artifact? Provide basic context. What is its purpose in a given market? Who are its users? What is the ultimate achievement for this artifact? Explain how it achieves something more or better or a means to an end as opposed to other similar artifacts. If you have a thing and you created a set of instructions for HOW TO use the thing, be sure to explain thoroughly the importance of the instructions for the thing. How they are inextricably linked. Many of you are creating an artifact (digital) that explains a process in and of itself, so this is less of a separate concern. It is already assumed in the artifact itself (e.g. a tutorial/ video).

B. Objectives of User Testing: What did you ask user-testers to do? Why? How does this help inform the artifact?

C. User-Test Methods: Thoroughly, accurately, and persuasively describe test procedure and instruments (devices, materials, etc.). Describe the type of user test (Document based, Web-based, QR code, Survey, Scaled Statements, Talk through captures, etc. This is your justification for the way you crafted your instructions, the user-test script AND to persuade me that you have carefully and effectively tested your set of instructions. Therefore, the more thorough and detailed this methods section, the more persuasive it will be to me. However, do not be redundant.

II. Findings (1 page)

A. Results / Discussion: Specifically, and in great detail, report ALL test results. You cannot “list” or copy and paste results, but instead determine a means to synthesize data collected from your user-testing. Find trends and commonalities among the user-tests, especially on a question to question or statement to statement basis. You might also include observations your group made of the user group during the user-test experience, discussion points, comments, etc. Include descriptions of tester difficulties, questions, and comments. What kind of feedback did you receive and what did this tell your team about its success with the project? Is it doing what you wanted? Why or why not? Most importantly, present these findings in a logical way so that I can follow a story about what happened on User Testing Day. I should be able to trace the users through the test and repeated occurrences. Move from what is MOST IMPORTANT and HELPFUL to the smaller, lesser details of the overall user-test findings. Again, focus on the steps and instructions!

III. Implications (1/2- 3/4 page)

Conclusion: Here, you will interpret the findings. Yes, we know what the users said, but what does that mean? Based on Section II, describe the consequences of the user-test findings. Indicate the specific revisions you would make as a result of what you learned. How would you return to the drawing board and revise/ edit? What does this tell you about your planning and development as a team? What logic is flawed? Or is it a technical error? What sorts of things must you consider for success in the specified market? How does this relate to other similar products/ services? This section is thinking more broadly about your position- what is your place in a larger space? Have you addressed your potential users? Or forgotten a key demographic? Is this common? In other words, you have a target audience in mind for your artifact, but there will be unattended users as well. Did you forget this aspect? Now what? Make a conclusive statement about your instruction set and how it has value and importance for all users in the future as well as the success of your artifact.

Project 3: (abbreviated) Solutions-Based Report

**Group Work- random selection

For Project 3, you will once again be working in a group to complete the tasks. You will be randomly assigned to a group of 3-4 other students who may or may not be studying in the same field or discipline. Hopefully, this will broaden your interests and teach you something new and exciting!

In this project, your focus is not to develop an artifact with a set of directions but rather a solution to a problem and analyze its viability. Your group will take initial steps toward gathering pertinent research and proposing primary data collection to determine a viable solution to the problem. Your deliverable will be an amended (shortened) version of a formal report that includes a title page, table of contents, statement of the problem with brief background, proposed methodology, SWOT analysis chart, and recommendations using APA style. Much of your writing will be forward thinking, instead of reporting actual findings. You will not have time to perform your method for data collection, so your group is expected to illustrate careful consideration and logic in the proposed sections of the document. Your group should plan to focus on gathering well-suited secondary research and developing a thorough SWOT analysis.

Step 1:

Each student in the class will think about their environment here at WSU. What problems do you encounter daily? Try to think of at least 8 problems. You may or may not want to frame your thinking through your disciplinary major. You might also begin by thinking about your major and how it manifests or is evidenced in spaces on campus in order to generate project possibilities.

For instance, nursing students might think about COVID related safety protocols or the scheduling limitations of the Campus Health Center. You should use the following questions to brainstorm…Is it in a classroom? A particular building? With an instructional/ pedagogical method? Are there issues with technology? Mechanics? Is there a feature or element to campus life that is unsafe or questionable?

Once you have selected 1 solid (through process of elimination) problem, draft a list of solutions to that problem. Using the problem stated above, a nursing student focused on COVID related protocols, may want to reinstate masking at all times to reduce not only COVID cases, but flu and virus. *DUE IN-CLASS Tuesday, March 26^th

Step 2:

Based on the problem-solution that you have identified in Step 1, develop a 1-paragraph (roughly 6 sentences) proposal to share with your peers. This should include the problem, some basic and brief context/background, identify stakeholders (who this affects) and 1- viable solution. You should end the proposal with a justification for your solution. Why is this viable/ plausible/ relevant/ logical etc.? *DUE Thursday, March 28^th

Step 3:

You will be grouped at random into groups of 4-5 students. Take the time to move closer to one another and do a quick meet and greet. Introduce yourselves.

Using the same proposal document submitted for Step 2, copy and paste the text of the document into the “P3 Pitch” Discussion Board by “replying to” the only the Group # for which you were assigned.

Take 10 or so minutes to quietly read the proposals of your group members.

Then, once everyone is finished reading the proposals, tear off a small piece of paper and write the name of the student’s proposal that you liked the very best. Fold it and wait for Mrs. Morris or your PM to circulate to your group and reveal the proposal with the most votes. The winning proposal will become the project that your group develops for Project 3.

As a group, you should discuss the following:

1. How to collect primary research/ data to inform the viability of the solution. You must think about the purpose of the data collection. What are you trying to determine? Working from the same COVID related problem discussed earlier and solving it by mandating masks at all times on campus- how might you determine if a mask mandate would help reduce COVID, flu, and viral spread across campus? What methods could you use to test if this would work? Do you need to know how students/ faculty feel about this first? Do you need to perform a trial?

2. Once you decide on one data collection methodology, draft a description of that method. What materials, tools, devices, etc. will you need (paper, computer, interview recording device, etc.)? How will you collect the data (written, digital, oral, etc.)? What tasks will be performed? What questions will you ask? What will you to do analyze the data? How will the data be used long-term or to inform the project as a whole?

*DUE IN-CLASS Tuesday, April 2^nd

Step 4:

The next important step in preparing your group’s proposal is to locate supporting research. You can use a balanced combination of scholarly/academic research (articles, book chapters, etc.) and professional/ field-specific sources (vetted professional organizations, foundations, websites, government sites, etc.). Use the WSU Library site, particularly the Summon search feature and utilize filter features to reduce your results. Then, you should perform a web search, using Google, to locate professional organizations and such (maybe drawing from research you completed in the MEMO, Resume, and Cover Letter tasks earlier this semester). Each group member is responsible for finding 2 potential sources. From the pool of 8-10 resources, your group will decide on a final list of 5 sources to build out their SWOT Analysis Chart. The purpose of the research is to build credibility for both your project and your group as authors/ researchers. You have to understand the current discussion around your topic and problem. For example, what have experts weighed in? Have similar research/ data collection/ studies/ analyses taken place? What do those findings say about viable solutions? Is there a consensus on one key feature? Are there dissenting groups? What do they say and what reasoning do they provide? Is there research that focuses on one particular group of stakeholders? Why? Does this help illuminate the problems for other groups? Why or why not? Has adjacent research been published? In other words, research from other fields or disciplines but probes the same problem? *DUE Thursday, April 4^th

Step 5:

You will come to class, Thursday the 4^th ,with 2 sources each. You will take all 8-10 listings and format an APA style References page to submit to the “References” assignment.

LINK: References (apa.org)

Then, you will begin an in-class, small group discussion to select the best 5 sources to move forward with on the SWOT Analysis Chart (Figures 1 and 2 shown below as options). The purpose of the chart is to evaluate the sources to show how there is a gap/ need in the existing scholarship or solutions.

S- Strengths (Good things happening in the field)

Strengths describe ways that positive aspects have been presented about the solution to the problem. What does their solution/implication do well? And for whom? Does this study/ source/data reveal something unique and helpful for our group’s proposal? Methodology? What have other researchers done well to set your group up for success? What shared purpose and or value do other researchers or experts have with your group? Use multiple independent sources in each this space (i.e., two or more sources for strengths etc.). You must also identify which of the sources the bullet point was taken. See **note below Figure 1.

W- Weaknesses (Bad things happening in the field)

The weaknesses describe the negatives. This section addresses problems, tensions, and constraints of the proposed solution and/or methodology. For instance, some other studies and or research may indicate needed improvements. There may also be issues with resources, etc. Think about what they could improve, and the sorts of practices that should be avoided. What is lacking and does your own group fill this hole? Use multiple independent sources in each of these spaces (i.e., two or more for weaknesses, etc.).

O- Opportunities (Scholars whose work your project continues, how this is replicable and can be expanded)

Opportunities describe what lies ahead and what is still open to your group in terms of the project proposal. What trends in the research or lack there of could you take advantage of? How can you turn your group’s strengths into opportunities missed in the references you collected? Opportunities are openings or chances for something positive to happen and usually arise from situations outside your group (and its ability). They might arise as developments in the market or discipline or in the technology used. These can be big or small. You should also watch out for changes in government policy related to your field. And changes in social patterns, population profiles, and lifestyles can all throw up interesting opportunities. Have the references addressed these items? How? Use multiple independent sources in each of these spaces (i.e., two or more sources for opportunities, etc.).

T- Threats (Scholars you disagree with)

Threats describe the future risks posed by external factors. What threats could harm you? What is your competition doing? What threats do your weaknesses expose to you? Threats include anything that can negatively affect your proposal and solution addressed in your references. Examples may be supply-chain problems, shifts in market requirements, or a shortage of workers. It's vital to anticipate threats and to take action against them. What have the references mentioned that you had not thought of until now? Think about the obstacles you face in getting your solution to market or materializing. You may notice that quality standards or specifications for your product/ service are changing, and that you'll need to change those products if you're to stay in the lead. Evolving technology is an ever-present threat, as well as an opportunity! What have the references stated about threats? Use multiple independent sources in each of these spaces (i.e., two or more for threats, etc.). **DRAFT SWOT Charts DUE Tuesday, April 9^th

SWOT Analysis Chart Option 1

A close-up of a diagram

Description automatically generated

**You will be expected to create a key to correlate the bullet point with the source used

SWOT Analysis Chart Option 2

A white sheet of paper with black text

Description automatically generated

**You will fill-in the SWOT section by identifying if it is a S, W, O, or T then an explanation using the most pertinent points taken from the piece

Step 6:

Based on the references and SWOT Analysis you performed, your group will now be responsible for developing a cohesive conclusion section (1 page) for the report. This can be considered a synthesis of the supporting research you uncovered about your topic/ problem/ methodology/ solution. So, you should plan to address each of the aforementioned components to show that you are thinking about the viability of your data collection (methods) and the probability of a successful solution to the problem. You will generate a conclusive statement that looks ahead to a generative study to improve the current situation (identified as the problem). You should frame this paragraph as recommendations for how to proceed. Your final section MUST include at least 2 references (in-text citations).

Step 7:

Final Report Compilation:

Title Page (APA) *Determine a Title that Clearly Explains the Problem and Proposed Solution one page

Table of Contents with accurate pagination half page

Project Proposal (revised, edited and expanded from one paragraph to one page based upon research and ample background/ context building)

Methodology one paragraph

References (5 total sources) half page

SWOT Analysis Chart one page

Recommendations (Conclusion linking the proposal to SWOT) one page

**DUE Sunday, April 21^st to Project 3 Final submission

Project 4: Performance Review (2-3 pages for a “final”) 90 points

DUE: Day of scheduled final exam on Thursday, April 25^th by 11:59pm

**Individual Work

This report will review how you addressed the projects in the class and showcase your skills and struggles. This will also be a place to consider your participation in group projects 2 and 3 and your ability to meet the expectations of your peers. You MUST submit a draft of this document BEFORE the final for full grading consideration and the grading contract to be earned.

You will record a minimum 3-minute video of yourself responding to a series of questions that prompt you to think about your work in this course. This oral report (in the form of a hypothetical Zoom call) will review how you addressed the projects in the class and showcase your gained skills as well as project struggles. This will also be a time to consider your participation in group projects 2 and 3 and your ability to meet the expectations of your peers. You MUST submit a full transcript WITH the .mp4 recording for full grading consideration and the grading contract to be earned. The easiest method would be to record in either Zoom or YouTube which both have free and easy transcript services. I will be looking for your use of language as it relates to professionalization (think about industry jargon, your tasks, and the action verbs suggested for resumes). Find positive and persuasive ways to talk about yourself, but be HONEST.

Questions/ Prompts:

You might think about spending roughly 30+ seconds per question/prompt.

Begin the “call” with greeting me and stating the purpose of the call. Be sure to phrase your answers so that I know what you are sharing about/ answering. I do not want you repeating questions or using basic sentence stems. Instead, find ways to connect the questions/ prompts below to create a cohesive review of the course. This may require you to write some notes down before you record or draft up a short transcript. PREPARING BRIEFLY is CRITICAL. You should also close with a “good-bye.”

1. Identify the communication skill you best developed during this semester. Provide an example or anecdote to illustrate.

2. What is your strongest quality when collaborating with others on a project? Please refer to EITHER P2 or P3 in order to provide some details to support this quality.

3. In what way(s) do you feel you need to work more to be a “team player?” This may be perceived as a question about your weakness(s) when working in a group dynamic. Please provide explicit ways that you will try to improve this in the future.

4. In your opinion, what makes the kind of writing and research (technical/ professional) you performed in this course different from that you did in other courses (this may be writing here at WSU, high school, or even other college courses). Use an example to illustrate your distinction.

5. Which of the group projects (2 or 3) were you most proud? Explain. Then, determine a way that this project may help you in your future career aspirations.

6. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent, how you would you rate my teaching of the course. In other words, do you think I instructed your writing well? After you rate my teaching performance, please provide some examples of my teaching approach/ style that worked well for your learning. Finally, provide some suggestions for where I might improve.

Participation and Homework Tasks 100 points

**Completion Scoring

Textbook and Materials

I will provide all course related readings and materials through Canvas. The documents, files, and/or video links will be provided as needed in the weekly course modules.

Important Winter 2024 Semester Dates

No Classes: Monday, January 15^th; Monday, March 11^th through Sunday, March 17^th;

Last day for late registration, and to withdraw without instructor approval and with tuition cancellation: Monday, January 22^nd

Last day to withdraw (no tuition refund): Monday, March 25^th

Last Day of THIS class: Thursday, April 18^th

Religious Holidays:
Because of the extraordinary variety of religious affiliations of the University student body and staff, the Academic Calendar makes no provisions for religious holidays. However, it is University policy to respect the faith and religious obligations of the individual. Students with classes or examinations that conflict with their religious observances are expected to notify their instructors well in advance so that mutually agreeable alternatives may be worked out.

Remote Days

The university has developed a “remote day” policy in the event of events like snow emergencies or other issues. Here is what that means for us, as a face-to-face class that meets on campus:

If a remote day is called, we cannot hold class in person.
If we can hold class on Zoom (in my Zoom room linked above), I will send an announcement as soon as possible.
I will provide a recording or class notes for anyone who cannot attend online.

If I am unable to hold class on Zoom (for example, if I do not have wifi access), I will provide an update and any information you need as soon as possible.

Feedback and Correspondence

All small-scale assignments will be graded and/or commented upon and returned within reasonable time (within a week of submission). Projects may take a couple weeks. Please be patient and understand that if it has taken you weeks to develop and compose such a piece, then it will undoubtedly take me time to adequately assess not only your work but that of the other 50+ students in sections of this course.

I will respond to emails as soon as possible, but I ask for 24 hours before you send a follow up/reminder email. All correspondence should be professional in tone, including a salutation and signature line. Emails lacking professionalism may be asked to be re-written. Please communicate with your WSU email account ONLY; emails received from other email accounts will NOT be opened. Send along all email correspondence, with professionalism, to my WSU address at aj8067@wayne.edu. Please refer to me as Mrs. Morris or Kristi, not Professor Morris, Dr. Morris or “Prof.”

Attendance

The design of this course is meant to create a dynamic and interactive experience for all its participants. Although we are scheduled to meet 2+x’s/ week, personal obligations, unforeseen circumstances and simply life will sometimes prevent this from happening. We are each in unique situations and I am more than happy to be as flexible as possible regarding missed classes. However, I thoughtfully ask that you try to attend as many class meetings as is possible. If you miss more than 3 class meetings, you will jeopardize your final grade. If you are troubled with extenuating circumstances or feel it is becoming too difficult to complete the course, please contact me as soon as possible. This course section is listed as meeting “on location,” so it has not been designed to be completed asynchronously online. I will take daily class attendance. It will allow me to better speak with you about assignments and grading. In the event that you do miss a class here or there, please consult our Canvas site especially the “Announcements” and weekly modules. Do not email me to ask what you missed. It is also worthwhile exchanging contact information with one or more of your peers. You are responsible for any and all material missed during your absence, unless you have made other arrangements with me.

Participation

To make this course as beneficial as possible, I welcome and encourage your thoughts and insights during our class meetings. In addition, your focused efforts are appreciated in any groupwork. From time-to-time, we will also have online discussion boards, peer review activities, and one-on-one conferences. Each of these interactive moments are opportunities for you to show me that you are invested in the class and learning.

Respect Policy

Class Recordings

NO recordings (of any kind) will be allowed. I will upload and make available any and all approved recordings for your use. Please check the ECHO360 feature on the left menu feature on Canvas where I capture and save each class meeting.

Late Work

Late work will be accepted; however, I will not provide feedback/guidance. You will simply take a completion for the work. I encourage all of you to complete projects by the due date specified. However, if you are having difficulties, please contact me as soon as possible. Try to email me BEFORE (at least 48 hours prior to) the due date listed on the calendar/syllabus. In your email, I ask that you propose a new due date (which I am allowed to negotiate). If you miss the newly agreed upon due date, the work will no longer be accepted.

Plagiarism Policy (Including ChatGPT and other AI Tools)

Please just don’t do it. I would rather you request an extension or have a meeting with me to discuss challenges and potential options. I would rather have you turn in a “junky” project than someone else’s work, especially a computer or robot. I can work with you if I know you are struggling. I cannot get behind students lying and cheating. As a class, we will make it a point to interrogate the benefits and constraints of AI in developing technical writing. So, be ready to compare your work to that generated by AI as well as employing various platforms as a jumping off point for your work. Ethical and responsible ways of using these technologies do exist!

Plagiarism is the act of copying work from books, articles, and websites without citing and documenting the source. Plagiarism includes copying language, texts, and visuals without citation (e.g., cutting and pasting from websites). Plagiarism also includes submitting papers (or sections of papers) that were written by another person, including another student, AI Tool, or downloaded from the Internet. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. It may result in a failing grade for the course. Instructors are required to report all cases of plagiarism to the English Department. Information on plagiarism procedures is available in the Department.

A Note about Research Ethics

Writing Center

The Writing Center (2nd floor, UGL) provides individual tutoring consultations, research assistance from librarians, and technology consultants, all free of charge for graduate and undergraduate students at WSU. The Writing Center serves as a resource for writers, researchers, and students’ technology projects. Tutoring sessions focus on a range of activities in the writing process – considering the audience, analyzing the assignment or genre, brainstorming, researching, writing drafts, revising, editing, and preparing documentation. The Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service; rather, tutors work collaboratively with students to support them in developing relevant skills and knowledge, from developing an idea to editing for grammar and mechanics. Research and technology support is offered on a first come, first served basis and covers research strategies, assessment of sources, general technology support, and help with Adobe Dreamweaver, Encore, Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, and more. To make a face- to-face or online appointment, consult the Writing Center website: http://www.clas.wayne.edu/writing/

Student Disability Services

If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with Student Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the Student Academic Success Services department. The SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 or 313-202-4216 for videophone use. Once you have met with your disability specialist, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my office hours to discuss your accommodations. Student Disability Services’ mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University. You can learn more about the disability office at www.studentdisability.wayne.edu.

To register with Student Disability Services, complete the online registration form at:

https://wayne-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/

Sexual Misconduct and Title IX

Every Warrior has the right to live, learn, and work at WSU – free from Harassment or Discrimination.

Any member of the WSU Community that is impacted by sexual misconduct has the right to report to the University (i.e., Responsible Employee or Title IX Coordinator), to law enforcement (i.e. WSUPD or other jurisdiction), to both, or to neither. Every Warrior is encouraged to make the reporting decision that is right for them.

Please be advised: Most faculty and staff are considered “Responsible Employees” and are required to report information they receive about incidents of sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, and stalking) to appropriate authorities when it involves WSU students, faculty, or staff.

Free, confidential, and anonymous support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to survivors, their friends, and their family through the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Call 1-800- 656-4673 or Chat online with a professional support specialist. Please visit TitleIX.wayne.edu to learn more about resources and support on campus and in the local community.

Reporting to the University

The Title IX Office is available to consult with individuals impacted by sexual violence or discrimination regarding resource referrals, supportive and protective measures, and reporting and resolution options. Where WSU has jurisdiction, the affected party may request an administrative investigation by the University.

Phone: 313-577-9999 Email: TitleIX@wayne.edu

Reporting to Law Enforcement

The Wayne State University Police Department is available 24/7 to assist individuals reporting criminal activity or concerns on or near campus. Report off-campus incidents to the appropriate police jurisdiction. In the event of an emergency or imminent threat, reporting to the police is highly encouraged.

Phone: 313-577-2222

Every Warrior has the right to live, learn, and work at WSU – free from Harassment or Discrimination. If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual violence or discrimination, please visit TitleIX.wayne.edu to learn more about resources and support on campus and in the local community.

Basic Needs Statement

Learning is always more challenging when you are struggling to meet basic needs. Wayne State recognizes that you may face a number of challenges during your time here, and we are here to support you. Any student who faces challenges securing food, housing, or medical care is encouraged to contact relevant university offices noted on the Financial Aid website for support. You are also encouraged to notify the processor, so that they can help you access resources and support.

Additional Resources

Student Disability Services (SDS) http://studentdisability.wayne.edu/
Academic Success Center (ASC) http://www.success.wayne.edu/
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) http://www.caps.wayne.edu
Dean of Students’ Office (DOSO) http://www.doso.wayne.edu
Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence (OMVAE) http://omvae.wayne.edu
Department of English website http://clas.wayne.edu/English/

Land Acknowledgement

Wayne State University rests on Waawiyaataanong (Waa-we-yaa- tih-nong), also referred to as Detroit, the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Three Fires Confederacy. These sovereign lands were granted by the Ojibwe (Oh-jib- way), Odawa (Oh-daa-waa), Potawatomi (Pow-tuh-waa-tuh-mee), and Wyandot nations, in 1807, through the Treaty of Detroit. Wayne State University affirms Indigenous sovereignty and honors all tribes with a connection to Detroit. With our Native neighbors, WSU can advance educational equity and promote a better future for the earth and all people.

(Sample 3) Community and Writing (Wayne State University, ENG 3020)

Instructor: Kristi Morris (please call me Mrs. Morris, she/her)

E-Mail: aj8067@wayne.edu

On Campus Office: Room# 9305.4, on the 9^th floor of 5057 Woodward Ave. Please stop by before or after our class (in Old Main) or email me to schedule an official appointment time to meet. I will be in my campus office most Tuesdays and Thursdays after class, but to be certain it is best to schedule an appointment. I am available other days of the week (M and W, but no Fridays).

Remote Meetings via Zoom (link): Please click in pdf doc or copy and paste into browser.

https://wayne-edu.zoom.us/j/7582568654?pwd=QWorOW1JcGtWdWtqSVNoSHArZDJhQT09

Meeting ID: 758 256 8654

Passcode: 406802

Peer Mentor (In-Class Tuesdays): Drew A.

Peer Mentor (In-Class Thursdays): Ma’ldah S.

Course Description:

As a course that fulfills the Intermediate Composition (IC) general education requirement,
English 3020 prepares students for reading, research, and writing in their upper-division
courses and majors. Wayne State University students in English 3020 achieve the outcomes listed below through collaborative community engagement, which combines hands-on experience in a community setting with academic work and writing tasks related to that setting. The course emphasizes researching a local problem, analyzing various kinds of texts, writing for different purposes, listening, negotiating with people of different ages and from different backgrounds, and learning to work collaboratively with a diverse array of people and organizations. Students are required to provide 20 hours of service to the community site affiliated with this course in addition to class meeting times (roughly 2-3 hours per week for 8 consecutive weeks).

During this semester of 3020, we will explore the concept of language (linguistic) justice in the context of academic spaces. We will a) self-analyze to determine our feelings toward our own language practices (at the university level); b) work with Cass Technical High School students on how they speak and write; c) read current scholarship and research linguistic justice; and d) use PAR and ethnography to analyze the current situation with language justice in an urban high school to inform a possible solution(s) to a problem.

Learning Outcomes

Community

Community Engage communities in collaborative work that aligns with community members' values and expectations and demonstrates the ethical application of academic research and writing skills to community-based projects.

Research

Write within the conventions of research genres; use ethical research methods, and conduct primary and secondary research to design an extended research project that draws on perspectives from academic disciplines and is useful for community partners.

Writing

Use a flexible writing process and varied technologies to produce texts that address the expectations of academic disciplines and professional community partners in terms of the writing’s content, form, style, responsiveness to rhetorical situation, and genre.

Reading

Analyze genres from chosen discourse communities, academic disciplines, and community partners, including aspects of audience, rhetorical situation, rhetorical purpose, strategies and effects.

Reflection

Use reflective writing to describe developing knowledge about writing, about oneself as a writer (including ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate one’s own writing), and about relationships within communities and with community partners.

Key Terms

Service Learning- is a teaching and learning methodology which fosters civic responsibility and applies classroom learning through meaningful service to the community. The strongest service-learning experiences occur when the service is meaningfully immersed in ongoing learning and is a natural part of the curriculum that extends into the community. (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

Mentorship- The simplest way to define mentorship is to think about it in its most usual form – a helping relationship in which one person, usually more experienced or senior, takes time to assist the career, professional or personal development of someone else, who is known as a mentee. Mentorships are most often a one-to-one relationship but is sometimes conducted in groups. A mentoring relationship is one that is built on trust, in which there is an exchange of knowledge, experience and goodwill. (Art of Mentoring)

Partnership/ Collaboration- the action of working with someone to produce or create something

Language (Linguistic) Justice- “…is about building and sustaining multilingual spaces in our organizations and social movements so that everyone’s voice can be heard both as an individual and as part of a diversity of communities and cultures. Valuing language justice means recognizing the social and political dimensions of language and language access, while working to dismantle barriers, equalize power dynamics, and build strong communities for social and racial justice” (Communities Creating Healthy Environments).

Participatory Action Research (PAR)- is an approach to enquiry which has been used since the 1940s. It involves researchers and participants working together to understand a problematic situation and change it for the better. There are many definitions of the approach, which share some common elements. PAR focuses on social change that promotes democracy and challenges inequality; is context-specific targeted on the needs of a particular group; is an iterative cycle of research, action and reflection; and often seeks to ‘liberate’ participants to have a greater awareness of their situation in order to take action. (Participatorymethods.org)

Ethnography- is a qualitative method for collecting data often used in the social and behavioral sciences; data is collected through observations and interviews, which are then used to draw conclusions about how societies and individuals function (University of Virginia).

Qualitative Data- describes qualities or characteristics and is collected using questionnaires, interviews, and/or observation and frequently appears in narrative form.

Cass Tech Collaborative Learning Tasks

As a class, we will be working with students in 10^th and 11^th grade Language Arts courses and their respective teachers at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. When I say “working,” there will be two roles: first, you will act as mentors to the Cass Tech students in order support their development as writers confident in “they own language” and second, to perform primary research that supports writing your 4th Project (Young). This collaborative learning project fits into our understanding of linguistic justice as it exists or ceases to exist in the academic spaces we occupy. The CT students’ experiences, admissions, and your observation of their practices and behaviors will become qualitative data to help develop your position in a solutions-based project.

The learning objectives for our 4^th project are as follows:

*Projects 1,2, & 3 are all scaffolded projects that build toward the final development of the 4^th project.

Understanding and employing vocabulary related to linguistic justice.
Performing PAR in the CT classroom to help gather qualitative data about student experiences of linguistic justice.
Assisting and supporting CT students to reflect on their language practice, especially as framed through linguistic justice.
Supporting CT students as they write in academic spaces and for academic purposes, but with attention to writer identity and language.
Developing a unique project that evidences the semester’s work, but more importantly contributes to conversations about linguistic justice in secondary and post-secondary spaces.

CLC: A Composition Learning Community

During the fall 2023 semester, the CLC Student Writing Showcase is scheduled for Wednesday, December 6^th from 10-12pm in the Community Room located on the 3^rd floor of the David Adamy Undergraduate Library (UGL). Students in this section of ENG 3020 will be required to participate by selecting one of the four projects designed during the semester. More details to follow. Feel free to check out the CLC site and get a better idea of what it’s all about:

· Home (google.com)

WSU Grading Scale:

Incompletes

Incompletes will not be granted for this course.

Grade Breakdown based on 1000 points

Project 1: Position Statement	100 points/ 10% Grade Contract
Project 2: Project Proposal	100 points/ 10% Grade Contract
Project 3: Literature Review	225 points/ 22.5% Grade Contract
Project 4: Research Paper/ Multimodal Project	275 points/ 27.5% Grade Contract
Project 5: Reflection Paper or Video	100 points/ 10% Completion Score
Small-Scale Assignments	100 points/ 10% Completion Score
Participation/ Attendance	100 points/ 10% Completion Score

This course will use a version of a labor-based grading contract system based on writing and research labor. For each project (1-4), I will outline the specific tasks and expectations. You will, in turn, be invited to determine what grade you would like to earn for the work expected (in other words, set a goal for yourself). For each of the 4 large-scale projects, you will be given a due date to submit this contracted grade to me via Canvas assignment window. I will record your proposed contract grade until the project is complete. When I evaluate your final iteration, I will use your contract/goal to guide my expectations.

So I just *do* the tasks or things listed on the project description for a grade? How do I know they’re “good” enough?

The small-scale scaffolded assignments will be marked “complete” or “incomplete.” Note that you will receive an incomplete, if the work is only partially complete. In addition to the completion score, I will also provide any feedback or comments that I feel are necessary for your ultimate success on correlating larger projects. My feedback is exclusively based on the learning outcomes and objectives that are set forth in each project (and found explicitly on each project description). You will not find feedback on conventions, grammar, or more traditional elements of writing, unless you specifically ask me for such. If you fail to meet your contracted grade, on a final iteration of the project, then I will meet with you (or discuss over email) ways of extending your work to help achieve the grade you initially set as a goal.

So, how is my grade calculated?

You will decide what letter grade you will contract for each of the 4 projects. Once all of the work is complete, submitted in Canvas and my feedback is provided back to you, I will award your earned letter grade. Ideally, you earn your contract. You should be well aware of your progress along the way (through small-scale assignments and routine in-class feedback), so the project grade should not be a surprise. At the end of the semester, all five projects (4 projects plus the 5^th and final reflection piece) will be weighted according to the 1000-point scale.

Major Projects

The 5 major projects for the course are designed to scaffold together, building upon students’ emerging writing capacities, community awareness, familiarity with a central research focus, and a body of written content. Students will develop their projects using Participatory Action Research (PAR) not only to strengthen their own research skills, but also to best support stakeholders in the affiliated community. You will receive further details and all required work when each of the projects are assigned (a few weeks apart throughout the semester). The project sequence is as follows:

1. Project 1: Position Statement (identified problem/issue within the community)

1000 Words/ 3-4 Pages Double-Spaced

DUE 9/17

2. Project 2: Project Proposal (inquiry-based research, including primary research interviews/observations)

1000 Words/ 3-4 Pages Double-Spaced

DUE 10/8

3. Project 3: Literature Review (6-8 sources, annotated bibliography, visual organizer, etc.)

1500 Words/ 5-6 Pages Double-Spaced

DUE 11/5

4. Project 4: Research Paper or Multimodal Project (employing PAR, evidences ethnographic data, and incorporates literature review sources)

2800 Words/ 10 Pages Double-Spaced

DUE 12/10

5. Project 5: Reflection Paper or Video

1000 Words/ 3-4 Pages Double-Spaced/ 5-6 minutes

DUE 12/19

Course Readings (Available on WSU Library site or pdf download on our Canvas course modules)

NO BOOK PURCHASES NECESSARY!

Baker-Bell, April. "Dismantling Anti-Black Linguistic Racism in English Language Arts

Classrooms: Toward an Anti-Racist Black Language Pedagogy." Theory into Practice,

vol. 59, no. 1, 2020, pp. 8-21.

Baker-Bell, April, and ProQuest (Firm). Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity,

and Pedagogy. Routledge, New York, NY, 2020.

Cushman, Ellen. “The Rhetorician as an Agent of Social Change.” College Composition and

Communication 47.1 (1996): 7-28.

Dávila, Denise. "All in a Day's Play: How a Child Resists Linguistic Racism and Constructs Her

Identity." Research in the Teaching of English 57.3 (2023): 248-70.

Flores, Nelson. “From academic language to language architecture: Challenging raciolinguistic

ideologies in research and practice.” Theory Into Practice, 59:1, 22-31.

Hankerson, Shenika. “Why can’t writing courses be taught like this fo real”: Leveraging critical

language awareness to promote African American Language speakers’ writing skills,

Journal of Second Language Writing, Volume 58, 2022.

Hendrix-Soto, Aimee. "Reading School: Critical Literacies of the Youth Equity Agents." Journal

of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 64, no. 6, 2021, pp. 633-643.

Horner, Bruce, and Karen Kopelson. Reworking English in Rhetoric and Composition: Global

Interrogations, Local Interventions. Edited by Karen Kopelson, and Bruce Horner. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois, 2014.

Park, Jie Y. "Agency, Identity, and Writing: Perspectives from First-Generation Students of

Color in their First Year of College." Research in the Teaching of English 57.3 (2023): 227-47.

Pattanayak, Anjali. “There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking.” Bad Ideas About

Writing, edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe. West Virginia University

Libraries, pp. 82-87.

Powell, Beth, Kara Poe Alexander, Sonya Borton. “Interaction of Author, Audience, and Purpose

in Multimodal Texts: Students’ Discovery of Their Role as Composer”: http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/praxis/tiki-index.php?page=Student_Composers

Qiu, Tairan, Chioma Kas-Osoka, and Jason D. Mizell. "Co-Constructing Knowledge: Critical

Reflections from Facilitators Engaging in Youth Participatory Action Research in an

After-School Program." Journal of Language & Literacy Education, vol. 17, no. 2, 2021,

pp. 1.

Sinor, Jennifer, and Michael Huston. "The Role of Ethnography in the Post-Process Writing

Classroom." Teaching English in the Two-Year College, vol. 31, no. 4, 2004, pp. 369.

Smitherman, Geneva. Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America. Detroit: Wayne

State University Press, 1977.

Spigelman, Candace. Personally Speaking: Experience as Evidence in Academic Discourse. 1st

Edition ed. Southern Illinois University Press, 2004.

Wood, Lesley. Participatory Action Learning and Action Research:

Theory, Practice and Process. New York: Routledge, 2020.

Young, Vershawn A., and Y'Shanda Young-Rivera. "It Ain't what it is: Code Switching and

White American Celebrationists." JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory, vol. 33, no.

1/2, 2013, pp. 396-401.

Young, Vershawn A. "Should Writers use they Own English?" Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies,

vol. 12, no. 1, 2010, pp. 110-117.

Semester Snapshot

Our semester will begin on August 29^th in the WSU classroom and we will meet weekly on each Tuesday and Thursday; then, by the week of September 18^th or 25^th we will add on service-learning time (2-3 hours per week) in the Cass Tech classrooms. Our service component will commence the week of November 21^st as we both schools head into Thanksgiving break.

Weekly Calendar

I will update our weekly calendar every Sunday/ Monday with reading selections from the course list above (consume) and further details for small-scale writing assignments (produce). I may also adjust the tentative assignments and due dates listed below based upon our class’s progress. Some assignments will ultimately become in-class activities, etc. It is hard to predict what lessons and objectives we will master quickly and those that will require additional time and practice. You will unlikely be assigned all of the listed readings (consume) for the week, but rather be assigned one of the readings as part of a group. Each group will read their assigned piece and share out with their peers to inform them of major ideas and takeaways. Our 3020 plans are especially sensitive, because ideally, we should support the work of the students at Cass Tech, so I may need to change reading selections and work to tease out conversation points and potential research topics. Therefore, I am providing a very loose sketch of each week. There will be changes on the horizon, but marking the 5- large scale project due dates onto your own calendar is wise at this time!

The readings (“consume”), notes/PowerPoints, and other coursework (“produce”) will not be available or published on Canvas until the week before (eg. The PDF reading file for Week 6 may not be uploaded by me and available to you until the end of Week 5). I am neither making the entire course, nor all weekly modules available “up front.” Please respect this decision. I am trying to give you access to as much as possible, although we meet face-to-face. I have also seen the issues this creates in keeping everyone on the same schedule, doing the same work, and reading the correct items. You do not have to overly burden yourself; instead, work on what is given to you each week, or a couple weeks, at a time. When I do have documents and links loaded further in advance, I will signal an “Announcement” on Canvas. Be assured that I will also give explicit instructions about how to handle the work submissions.

Week No. and Dates	Concepts & Themes	Consume	Produce
Week 1 Tues- 8/29*First Class Thurs- 8/31	Community Engaged Learning, Service-Learning, Mentorship, Observation and Ethnography	Syllabus Overview, Key Terms, Sinor and Huston reading “The Role of Ethnography…” and Park reading “Agency, Identity, and Writing…” and Cushman reading “The Rhetorician as Agent…”	Autoethnography, annotation of 1 reading selection (consume), defining terms in own words
Week 2 Tues- 9/5 Thurs- 9/7	Linguistic Justice, PAR, Setting CT schedules?? and Signing Up to Volunteer with DPS?? Assign Project 1	Young and Young-Rivera reading “It Ain’t What it is…”, Pattanayak reading “There is One Correct Way…” and TEdTalk: “Why English Class is Silencing Students of Color” Jamila Lyiscott, and Wood reading selection from Particpatory Action Research…	Code-Switching exercise, Practice observations and ethnographic notes, academic writing hypotheticals (What If I…?), Drafts of Project 1 peer review
Week 3 Tues- 9/12 Thurs- 9/14	Writer’s Identity, Style & Voice, Alphanumeric texts v. multimodality through lens of LJ, Articulating a position (ID problem, reasoning), Finalizing CT schedules??	ThisIBelieve.org, Sample Position Statements, Spigelman reading Personally Speaking, Young reading “Should Writers Use…”	“This I Believe” mini- essay, Listing modal affordances, response piece to Young (TikTok?), Read and reflect on Powell Kairos Webtext together as class Sunday- 9/17 Project 1 DUE
Week 4*CT begins Tues- 9/19 Thurs- 9/21	Writing Process-Brainstorming projects with purpose (exigency) based on position, Project Proposals and Design, Assign Project 2	Sample Project Proposals, Horner reading “Reworking English in Rhetoric…”and Hankerson reading “Why Can’t Writing Courses…” and Hendrix-Soto reading “Reading School…”	Reactions and Responses to CT classroom, Ethnographic Notes, Annotations on 1 (consume) reading selection, Pitch Project ideas
Week 5 Tues- 9/26 Thurs-9/28	Mentorship strategies and best practices, fine-tuning proposals with structured writing	Flores reading “From Academic Language…,” and Qiu et.al reading “Co-constructing Knowledge…”	Discussion Board or Gallery Walk for reading responses, All- class share out for mentorship summary, Drafts of Project 2 peer review
Week 6 Tues- 10/3 Thurs- 10/5	Linguistic Justice and Writer Identity (student), Assign Project 3	Davila reading “All in a Day’s Play…” and Selections from Baker-Bell (2020) and “Dismantling AntiBlack…”	Annotations for Baker-Bell Sunday- 10/8 Project 2 DUE
Week 7 Tues- 10/10 Thurs- 10/12	Writing Process- Research and Library site, Linguistic Justice- Writing about Experiences and Language	Sample Literature Reviews, Sample Annotated Bibliography, Selections from Smitherman reading “Talkin and Testifyin…”	Internalizing and using feedback (P2), Annotating Literature Reviews, Breaking down Annotated Bibliographic Entries

Week 8 Midterm Tues- 10/17no class Thurs- 10/19	Writing Process- Research and Library cont., Balancing scholarly sources and ethnography (field notes), Linguistic Justice- Writing about Experiences and Language	Selections from Smitherman reading “Talkin and Testifyin…” and Student’s own selections for Lit Review P3	Breaking down data heavy text, Sunday- 10/15 Sources for Project 3 DUE
Week 9 Tues- 10/24 Thurs- 10/26	Writing Process- Drafting	Student’s own selections for Lit Review P3	Drafts of Project 3 peer review
Week 10*Halloween Tues- 10/31 Thurs- 11/2	Sharing Research and Finding Throughlines, Common Themes, etc.	Student’s own selections for Lit Review P3	Sunday- 11/5 Project 3 DUE All-class share out and mini-presentations “I’m a Be Where I’m at”
Week 11 Tues- 11/7 Thurs- 11/9	Writing Process- Plans and Design, Audience Awareness, Assign Project 4	Watch video (documentary, film development)	Project Plan or Map, Switching audiences and other rhetorical considerations
Week 12 Tues- 11/14 Thurs- 11/16	Agency and Impact	Watch segment of All the Beauty and All the Bloodshed	Response or Critique to All the Beauty and All the Bloodshed
Week 13 Tues- 11/21last day CT Thurs- 11/24no class Thanksgiving	TBD		Intentional Statement about Project Contribution to Linguistic Justice Conversation
Week 14 Tues- 11/28 Thurs- 11/30	Writer’s Workshop		Drafts of Project 4 peer review, Submit CLC Showcase project
Week 15 Tues- 12/5 Thurs- 12/7*Last class	Assign Project 5, Writing Process- Drafting segments of Project 5	Watch student sample video reflection and read student sample reflection essay	Wed-12/4 CLC Writing Showcase Sunday- 12/10 Project 4 DUE

*Tuesday- 12/19 Project 5 DUE

Important Fall Semester Dates

No Classes: Monday, September 4^th; Monday, October 16^th; Tuesday, October 17^th; Wednesday, November 22^nd- Sunday, November 26^th

Last day for late registration, and to withdraw without instructor approval and with tuition cancellation: Monday, September 11^th

Last day to withdraw (no tuition refund): Monday, November 6^th

Last Day of THIS class: Thursday, December 7^th

Reflection Paper or Video (Final) Submission for THIS class: Tuesday, December 19^th

Remote Days

The university has developed a “remote day” policy in the event of events like snow emergencies or other issues. Here is what that means for us, as a face-to-face class that meets on campus:

If a remote day is called, we cannot hold class in person.
If we can hold class on Zoom (in my Zoom room linked above), I will send an announcement as soon as possible.
I will provide a recording or class notes for anyone who cannot attend online.

If I am unable to hold class on Zoom (for example, if I do not have wifi access), I will provide an update and any information you need as soon as possible.

Feedback and Correspondence

I will respond to emails as soon as possible, but I ask for 24 hours before you send a follow up/reminder email. All correspondence should be professional in tone, including a salutation and signature line. Emails lacking professionalism may be asked to be re-written. Please communicate with your WSU email account ONLY; emails received from other email accounts will NOT be opened. Send along all email correspondence, with professionalism, to my WSU address at aj8067@wayne.edu. Please refer to me as Mrs. Morris, not Professor Morris, Dr. Morris, Kristi or “Prof.”

Attendance

The design of this course is meant to create a dynamic and interactive experience for all its participants. Although we are scheduled to meet 2+x’s/ week, personal obligations, unforeseen circumstances and simply life will sometimes prevent this from happening. We are each in unique situations and I am more than happy to be as flexible as possible regarding missed classes. However, I thoughtfully ask that you try to attend as many class meetings as is possible. If you miss more than 4 class meetings, you will jeopardize your final grade. If you are troubled with extenuating circumstances or feel it is becoming too difficult to complete the course, please contact me as soon as possible. This course section is listed as meeting “on location” and is a service-learning course with a community partner, so it has not been designed to be completed asynchronously online. I will take daily class attendance and your presence at Cass Tech as you have scheduled (worth an overall 100 points/ 10% of grade). It will allow me to better speak with you about assignments and grading. In the event that you do miss a class here or there, please consult our Canvas site especially the “Announcements” and weekly modules. Do not email me to ask what you missed. It is also worthwhile exchanging contact information with one or more of your peers. You are responsible for any and all material missed during your absence, unless you have made other arrangements with me.

Participation

To make this course as beneficial as possible, I welcome and encourage your thoughts and insights during our class meetings. In addition, your focused efforts are appreciated in any peer/groupwork, but especially during your mentorship with Cass Tech students. From time-to-time, we will also have online discussion boards, peer review activities, and one-on-one conferences. Each of these interactive moments are opportunities for you to show me that you are invested in the class and learning.

*REQUIRED Documentation for Attendance and Participation

Because this class is structured as a partnership with Cass Tech, you are expected to fulfill a service obligation of 2-3 hours per week for 8 consecutive weeks in addition to class meeting times on campus in Old Main. So, you will meet with me in class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30am- 12:45pm AS WELL AS 2-3 hours a week at Cass Tech (schedule TBD). You may choose from some options to best fit your schedule. Together, we will work out your concerns and schedule each of us during the first couple weeks of our class meetings. Then, each week when you go to Cass Tech, you will confirm your presence via a sign-in document/platform. Details to follow the set schedule.

Respect Policy

Meaningful and constructive dialogue is encouraged in this class and requires mutual respect, a willingness to listen, and tolerance of opposing points of view. Respect for individual differences and alternative viewpoints will always be maintained in this course. One’s choice of words and use of language is a critical component of respectful discourse as we work together to achieve the full benefits of creating a learning community where all people can feel comfortable expressing themselves. You will also be working alongside and mentoring high school students. This demands that you are particularly diligent about how you speak (being age appropriate), dress, and how you act in front of younger students. Set a good example.

Class Recordings

Late Work

Plagiarism Policy (Including ChatGPT and other AI Tools)

Plagiarism is the act of copying work from books, articles, and websites without citing and documenting the source. Plagiarism includes copying language, texts, and visuals without citation (e.g., cutting and pasting from websites). Plagiarism also includes submitting papers (or sections of papers) that were written by another person, including another student, AI Tool, or downloaded from the Internet. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. It may result in a failing grade for the course. Instructors are required to report all cases of plagiarism to the English Department. Information on plagiarism procedures is available in the Department.

A Note about Research Ethics

Writing Center

Student Disability Services

If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with Student Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the Student Academic Success Services department. The SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 or 313-202-4216 for videophone use. Once you have met with your disability specialist, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my office hours to discuss your accommodations. Student Disability Services’ mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University. You can learn more about the disability office at www.studentdisability.wayne.edu.

To register with Student Disability Services, complete the online registration form at:

https://wayne-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/

Sexual Misconduct and Title IX

Every Warrior has the right to live, learn, and work at WSU – free from Harassment or Discrimination.

Reporting to the University

Phone: 313-577-9999 Email: TitleIX@wayne.edu

Reporting to Law Enforcement

Phone: 313-577-2222

Basic Needs Statement

Additional Resources

Student Disability Services (SDS) http://studentdisability.wayne.edu/
Academic Success Center (ASC) http://www.success.wayne.edu/
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) http://www.caps.wayne.edu
Dean of Students’ Office (DOSO) http://www.doso.wayne.edu
Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence (OMVAE) http://omvae.wayne.edu
Department of English website http://clas.wayne.edu/English/

Land Acknowledgement

The Community and Writing course is developed from an already established relationship between Cass Technical High School (CT) and Wayne State University’s (WSU) Writing Program. I have designed this particular iteration of the course to sustain the collaborative learning between CT and WSU students. In addition, I want to augment the community student learning outcome that expects WSU students to demonstrate the ethical application of academic research and writing skills to community-based projects. CT is a diverse urban high school that provides a space where the WSU students can think about literacy through three distinct lenses: as learners, as researchers, and as writers. WSU students are able to focus their research on linguistic justice and narrow their research focus based upon their prior experiences as students in language arts classrooms. A majority have reflected on instructional practices that adversely affected their feelings about writing and their ability to write while being high school students. Consequently, they use their perspectives as a springboard into broader conversations about literacy, education, and linguistic justice.

To optimally support my students in looking through “three distinct lenses,” I organize each lesson plan to accomplish several tasks: support comprehension of the course readings, curate real-world community writing samples to examine their impact, develop and support individual student projects, illustrate ethical research practices, and debrief student experiences at CT. The framework is student-centered, action-oriented and demands that students create projects in a variety of 21^st century genres, which are all consistent features in other courses that I have taught at WSU. A unique feature of the Community and Writing course is the implementation of reading and writing groups. Students are randomly assigned both a reading and a writing group where they are expected to routinely participate to complete the selected course readings, develop a set of annotations as a group, and post the notes to Canvas (the WSU Learning Management System) for the other groups who have been assigned an alternate reading. Essentially, the students have power over their learning by teaching themselves as well as their peer groups the assigned material. This method is especially beneficial as it has a dual function: to build connections between the concept of linguistic justice and the observations students are making at CT, but also to practice the academic research literacy they need to perform writerly ethos in semester projects. Although the reading and writing groups perform a practical function in terms of learning, the groups also build a sense of community among students working together to complete the task. Community is also strengthened when the students share biweekly reflections and takeaways from their time at CT through discussion circles and Canvas discussion boards.

In Community and Writing, I establish a routine through daily lesson plans that include timed segments of instruction, modeling, discussion, and application. I am vigilant about classroom transitions that maintain an active pace; the class moves through several activities to maintain student interest in addition to maximizing our limited time. The most productive classes are those where I can facilitate group work while simultaneously engaging students one at a time to conference about their projects (as shown in the teaching video linked below). I also value lecture strategies that are reliant upon students’ participation. I dialogue with students through a series of questions and prompts to tease out the lesson objectives, such as community engagement, writer agency, and communication modes and genres, instead of a teacher-centered delivery (also shown in the video). Sharing their answers and diverse perspectives helps to transition into everyday examples shown through documentary clips, podcast segments, Ted Talks, and newspaper articles. Although I expose students to a variety of media in all of my courses, it is especially powerful to illustrate the modes and genres aptly used for particular audiences to affect change in community writing. Moreover, students are inspired by such examples and often reference features and aspects that can inform their own project plans. Whether choosing to collaborate in a group or work individually, students develop Tik Toks, posters, pamphlets, memes, clothing designs, social media posts, and many other remixed modes in order to determine how community rhetorics operate in various contexts. One of the most rewarding aspects of this course, but all the other first-year composition courses that I have taught, is the collaborative effort to present student work in the WSU Composition Learning Community Showcase.

Link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/Nw_1L7FE3n0

The fall 2023 Community and Writing course is an approach to developing a sustainable model for the Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University partnership and requires that I routinely gather student comments as one means of assessing the success of this approach for sustainability. In performing similar research during my dissertation, I recognize the authenticity captured in qualitative data. Student comments offer a clear measure of the effectiveness of the curriculum. For the Community and Writing course, I also use other assessment tools such as routine collaborative conversations with Cass Technical High School teachers, discussions with peer mentors, and WSU students' projects. One student admitted that “a big concept that has stuck with [them] is employing agency. When [they] came to this class, [they] didn’t even know what it meant. Now, …[they] can distinguish between student’s who have agency and those that do not.” In reflecting on the importance of agency by underrepresented students, another WSU student declared that “…no one is going to tell [their] story better than [them].” Most importantly, students recognized their positionality. A student acknowledged that, “community building first happens with volunteering.”

I also value feedback from Dr. Jule Thomas (and co-director of the Composition Learning Community) who observed a class session. Her continued conversations with me have helped me to build and refine my pedagogical innovations and teaching style. After her visit, she validated my approach to student learning with particular emphasis on the strategies I use to create a community of learners, which is “overwhelmingly successful.” Dr. Thomas noted that my class is a space,

…Where everyone was committed to shared learning and supporting community goals through frequent collaboration and social interaction that drew on intentional pedagogical strategies that cultivated and reinforced positive interactions among members. Doing so ensured that students felt that they belonged to their academic community; that they matter to one another; and that they could find emotional, social, and cognitive support for one another. Therefore, all felt comfortable engaging in dialogue and reflecting actively on taking ownership and responsibility of their own learning.

Introduction to College Writing (Wayne State University, ENG 1020)

A screenshot of a computer screen

Description automatically generated

Intermediate College Writing (Wayne State University, ENG 3010)

Sample 1

Composition Teaching Observation (Classroom)

Instructor	Kristi Morris	Observer	Nicole Varty
Course Number/Title	ENG 3010 Intermediate College Writing	Date/Time of Observation	Mar 1^st, 2022 11:30 am -12:45 pm
Duration of Class	11:30 am -12:45 pm	Location of Class	State Hall
Date	02/10/22	Date

X	Formal Observation

	Informal Observation

Initial Meeting

This informal meeting provides time and space for both instructor and observer to get to know each other as colleagues, discuss teaching goals and possible feedback, share observation materials such as syllabi and assignment sheets, and address any concerns or questions.

Notes:

Kristi and I met via zoom to talk through her semester so far and her goals for the observation. She is a very experienced teacher, having taught high school before teaching college-level composition. This semester has been odd (for everyone!) but she acknowledged the difficulty of shifting to in-person classes after three weeks of online teaching. The transition is, we both agreed, awkward. However, she feels much more comfortable and confident teaching f2f, as an outgoing communicative person and teacher. Her 3010 classes are about 50% students who followed her from ENG 1020, which she mentioned is both nice for her rapport with those students, but potentially confusing for the new students who don’t know her as well, yet. She is strategically mixing students up in different groups each class, so that they can get to know each other a bit more efficiently, which means they aren’t necessarily always grouped according to discourse community. We talked about teaching purpose for pedagogical moves like this.

Her biggest concern going into this observation is about balancing the in-person instruction and activities with a Canvas site that also contains resource materials and assignments. How much is too much online content when you are teaching face to face? This can be hard to judge when you’re fresh off of a long stretch of teaching online. Though, she notices that her students are game for in-class activities, on the whole. Though the pandemic has set up lots of stress over the “best” delivery method or whether or not students will actually be engaged in face-to-face classes more than online classes, the general population of ENG 3010 students is a bit more mature, and so their engagement has been a bit more respectful and engaged toward each other.

An area for growth is her own reflection on her comfort level (or lack thereof) with wait time, and a sense of feeling nervous about the stretch of silence after questions/directions. We talked about the fine line that teachers walk to hold students’ attention (and keep them off their phones) without railroading into the next set of content delivery.

Instructional Materials

A. Syllabus

Instructors, please share a copy of your syllabus with the observer before the date of the observation. Observers will review the syllabus to complete the section bellow.

Course number, title, & section	X	Plagiarism policy	X
Meeting days/times, room, semester, & year	X	Late work/make-up work	X
Office hours/location	X	Classroom behaviors	X
Instructor email	X	Writing Center info	X
Course Description	X	Student Disabilities Services Office recommended statement	X
General Education information	X	Academic Success Center info	X
Outcomes	X	Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) info	X
Required/recommended texts	X	Dean of Students’ Office info	X
Course requirements (relative weight, format requirements, & page counts)	X	Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence info	X
Add/drop & withdrawal dates	X	Department of English info	X
Grading policy, including incompletes	X	Calendar of class sessions	X
Absence/tardy policy	X	Date/time of final exam, other exams & quizzes, & assignment due dates	X

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi has all of the elements present that we suggest in the syllabus template.

B. Assignments, Comments, and Grading

Instructors please share a copy of an assignment you have taught or are currently teaching this semester with the observer. Stemming from that assignment sheet, you will also share graded papers that include your feedback. Observers will review graded and commented on student papers (with the corresponding assignment description) to complete the section below.

Describes central goals, tasks, and criteria for evaluation in assignment instructions	X
Evaluation rubric reiterates assignment goals and criteria	X
Provides a range of feedback on issues of content, organization, style, and sentence-level issues	X
Emphasizes strategies for student revision or future improvement	X
Evaluates appropriately for assignment and level of student performance	X

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi provides video feedback on larger projects, in which she is able to talk through student work at multiple levels. She addresses not only product (as in what is working/not working at high, middle and low levels of composition) but also process, as she is able to refer to brief conversations, things mentioned in class, and office hours visits as well. The modality of video allows for her to not only talk through specific elements of the students’ work, but also allows for the transmission of tone to be compassionate and empathetic, even while delivering critique of things that are not working well or aligned with the assignment.

Classroom Teaching

Instructors, below are sets of behaviors that may occur during an observation. Observers will complete the classroom teaching sections below based on notes from the observation.

A. Organization and Clarity

Begins class with materials and technology prepared	X
Defines objectives for class presentation	X
Links new ideas to previous classes or lessons	X
Presents material appropriate to class level	X
Explains important ideas simply and clearly	X
Presents relevant examples	X
Summarizes major points of lesson

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

The peer review activity that I observed was a complex and fun multi-step activity that engaged students in multiple ways. Kristi was very well prepared, from post-it notes giving students their assigned tasks, to set up that involved detailed instructions, to handouts with reference material. Students were engaged throughout the class session and seemed appropriately challenged.

B. Communication with and Responsiveness to Students

Communicates clearly and audibly	X
Demonstrates enthusiasm for subject	X
Uses audio/visual aids thoughtfully and appropriately	X
Encourages student participation	X
Responds appropriately to student questions and comments	X
Responds to nonverbal cues	X
Presents material in more than one way or uses different examples	X
Accommodates various learning styles	X
Modifies teaching strategies as needed	X
Uses humor appropriately	X
Uses classroom space effectively	X

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi is a natural teacher/communicator! She had thoroughly prepared the materials for the lesson, which allowed her to “trouble-shoot” technology issues with students and respond to questions while the majority of students engaged with the activity. She utilized the lab space effectively, moving around the physical space and keeping a sharp attentive eye on students so that questions could be communicated with minimal disruption to the rest of the class. She clearly has an easy and humorous teacher ethos, despite the high level of rigor, and students seemed comfortable with her as a teacher and as a person.

C. Knowledge

Demonstrates competence with subject matter	X
Translates abstract ideas and theories appropriately	x
Encourages critical thinking and analysis	x
Effectively answers student questions	x

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

While there was not much opportunity for direct instruction during the peer review process, Kristi made it a habit of taking productive writing talk from a one-on-one student conference and translating it out to the whole class by saying, “Something great just happened that I want to tell you all…”, effectively providing real-time specific examples of revision and feedback concepts for the Whole class. She demonstrated competence with all aspects of the class, from the lesson design, to fielding questions, to helping student work around technology issues.

D. Student-Centered Learning Activities

Uses group work as needed to support students’ mastery of skills, concepts, and/or texts	X
Defines and communicates appropriate objectives for individual or group work	X
Provides clear, specific instructions for individual or group tasks	X
Models procedures, dispositions, and results using artifacts or simulations	X
Structures individual or group work effectively to guide students to accomplish tasks and reach objectives	X
Models peer review strategies designed to elicit concrete feedback on specific aspects of student work	X
Works with actual student texts in class	X
Assesses/monitors student understanding and/or learning	X

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

The end of the class period gave Kristi an opportunity to have students write a brief reflective assessment of their time doing peer review, which they handed to her before leaving the class. This, along with the formative assessment she regularly conducted by moving about the room and fielding questions, will give a summative assessment of the activity and what students will take away from that class.

Evaluation

Instructors, the observer will first use their observations and notes to form an overall evaluation of your teaching as viewed through the observation process. This evaluation section is not meant to be a reflection of the wider work you perform as a composition program instructor or teacher; the process of professional development in the teaching of writing matures along a career-long trajectory that is impossible to capture in the limited time and space of a single observation. As a small part of your longitudinal development in the profession, however, the Composition Program hopes this observational evaluation is one of many experiences that enrich you as a teacher of writing.

Observers will mark a final evaluation and then summarize salient observations that merit their evaluation in the notes space below. Observers should include both positive teaching behaviors that the teacher has demonstrated as well as suggested professional development and instructional strategies that the instructor can undertake to develop as professionals in the context of the Composition Program at WSU and as colleagues in the field.

X	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

The best observations are those in which we as observers walk away having learned something, having been inspired by seeing another teacher’s creativity and passion at work. This was one such observation for me. Kristi demonstrated thoughtful and reflective teaching throughout the process of meetings and observations. I am excited to try some of the pedagogical moves I observed in my own classes! It is clear that Kristi takes her teaching seriously and applies her creativity and diligence to every class. Students who have her as a teacher will never be bored! And, they will walk away having learned about and practiced with concepts of rhetoric and composition that will feed their growth as writers for years to come.

Sample 2

Composition Teaching Observation (Classroom)

Instructor	Kristi Morris	Observer	Jule Thomas
Course Number/Title	ENG 3020: Community Writing	Date/Time of Observation	10/19/2023
Duration of Class	1 hour	Location of Class	Online
Date	10/19/2023	Date	10/19/2023

x	Formal Observation

	Informal Observation

Initial Meeting

What is your background in the teaching of writing?
What experiences have you had teaching writing in the past?
Has this been a typical semester for you? How so?
What have been some of the positive experiences you’ve had this semester?
Have you faced any challenges this semester?

Do you have questions about the observation or the process?

Notes:

Instructional Materials

A. Syllabus

Instructors, please share a copy of your syllabus with the observer before the date of the observation. Observers will review the syllabus to complete the section bellow.

Course number, title, & section	x	Plagiarism policy	x
Meeting days/times, room, semester, & year	x	Late work/make-up work	x
Office hours/location	x	Classroom behaviors	x
Instructor email	x	Writing Center info	x
Course Description	x	Student Disabilities Services Office recommended statement	x
General Education information	x	Academic Success Center info	x
Outcomes	x	Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) info	x
Required/recommended texts	x	Dean of Students’ Office info	x
Course requirements (relative weight, format requirements, & page counts)	x	Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence info	x
Add/drop & withdrawal dates	x	Department of English info	x
Grading policy, including incompletes	x	Calendar of class sessions	x
Absence/tardy policy	x	Date/time of final exam, other exams & quizzes, & assignment due dates	x

x	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

B. Assignments, Comments, and Grading

Describes central goals, tasks, and criteria for evaluation in assignment instructions	x
Evaluation rubric reiterates assignment goals and criteria	x
Provides a range of feedback on issues of content, organization, style, and sentence-level issues	x
Emphasizes strategies for student revision or future improvement	x
Evaluates appropriately for assignment and level of student performance	x

YES: Meets Expectations

Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi started out with a Quick Write where she projected the instructions and then described them for the student. Use of technology along with verbal instruction is a multipronged approach that attends to various learning styles. The instructions had a clear goal and outcome where students were asked to record their ideas regarding their community writing project using their phone. Kristi provided an option for students who were either unable to access technology or simply were hesitant to record themselves in public by allowing them to either leave the room to record or pair up with a peer and share verbally.

Additionally, Kristi made sure to get students who were late up to speed without calling them out or making them feel uncomfortable. It is key as an instructor to be flexible and I saw this flexibility throughout the observation.

Once students had completed the audio recording, students then used the recording to draft a written version of the recording. After this second step, Kristi discussed why the order was different-speaking first and then writing. She asked students what worked and what didn’t by flipping the process of writing to reflecting and speaking about their ideas rather than simply writing it out. Some students indicated that they found it difficult:

o hard to just come up with an idea

o harder to get your ideas out there

o Found it hard at first but it did ask me to think on a personal level and just say what is on my mind

Kristi responded to students’ statements and agreed and gave examples of how she also found an oral representation of ideas and project design sometimes difficult, but also quite powerful. She then asked if students found the reverse process positive or useful for them. Students responded by saying that they actually enjoyed the experience and found it gave them flexibility and less stress in communicating their ideas. For instance, students state:

I was able to summarize my ideas and just record the major points and then use them to write in more details to support and explain my ideas
It is almost like a first draft in that I don’t have to worry about how perfect it is because I’ll go back in and work on my writing process and strategies.

Classroom Teaching

Instructors, below are sets of behaviors that may occur during an observation. Observers will complete the classroom teaching sections below based on notes from the observation.

A. Organization and Clarity

Begins class with materials and technology prepared	x
Defines objectives for class presentation	x
Links new ideas to previous classes or lessons	x
Presents material appropriate to class level	x
Explains important ideas simply and clearly	x
Presents relevant examples	x
Summarizes major points of lesson	x

x	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi used a variety of strategies for enhancing student success and access to materials. She began class with materials and technology up and running and used both the projector, students’ own devices, and the blackboard to present the agenda of each activity and steps for completion. She clearly described the objectives for the lecture and activities and linked them back to previous lessons and assignments and then described how the current activity built on that past work.

Additionally, Kristi used linguistic strategies that were geared towards her students and their level of knowledge and understanding of the concepts covered by explaining ideas simply and clearly and inviting questions or ideas for students. I was especially impressed with the relevant examples that were given to students. They were not only useful in framing the current work in the classroom, but also moved that work beyond the classroom into the communities they were serving as well as the world by providing concrete platforms in which similar work is being conducted and avenues for them to submit or present the work they are currently doing within a larger community.

She ended each activity or section of the classroom by summarizing the main points of the engagement and linked that discussion back to the students’ work in the class, in the community, and in the world. Often, students don’t see the value in the work that they do in class, but Kristi made sure to extend their classroom goals and objectives beyond their smaller community and thus infusing motivation, dedication, and impacts of their work to highlight that they were part of something much larger than the course and themselves.

B. Communication with and Responsiveness to Students

Communicates clearly and audibly	x
Demonstrates enthusiasm for subject	x
Uses audio/visual aids thoughtfully and appropriately	x
Encourages student participation	x
Responds appropriately to student questions and comments	x
Responds to nonverbal cues	x
Presents material in more than one way or uses different examples	x
Accommodates various learning styles	x
Modifies teaching strategies as needed	x
Uses humor appropriately	x
Uses classroom space effectively	x

x	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Even as a recorded classroom observation, I could clearly hear Kristi and her students. She was clearly not only adept at responding to a variety of student learning needs and styles, but showcased enthusiasm for the topics covered and increased enthusiasm in students through multimodal presentation, discussion, group work, and small activities. What impressed me most was her ability to get into the mind of her students and relate her own experiences in learning and the process of research and writing for supporting her students’ growing knowledge and writing they were completing in the class. Student participation was always at the forefront and demonstrated through key moments of discussion, peer interaction, reflection activities, and peer support. While Kristi always used prompts to get students engaging and discussing new concepts and materials, she made sure to let students lead that exploration and allowed the conversation to lead where it needed to best support learning and a sense of community between herself and students. I observed during individual and group work that Kristi moved around the classroom. Sometimes it was just to check in on a student and how they did on a test, other times it was to check in when a student seemed confused or stuck, or when a student did not seem engaged or anxious about asking for help. In each case, students were open, appeared comfortable sharing and communicating, and I often saw smiles and laughter. There were many moments where I watched Kristi sit next to a student, chin in her hand, listening, nodding, thinking, smiling, and sharing. It was an emotional experience for me because I could see and sense the dedication, care, and shared respect between the two. I had a sense that Kristi was not there in the role of a teacher as much as a mentor and fellow learner.

In each interaction that occurred in class, Kristi presented material, instruction, interactions, and activities in a variety of ways that attend to a diverse group of learners by using visual, verbal, audio, and multimedia strategies for students. And in each, she made sure to highlight the purpose, goals, and strategies for completing each task. Thus, students were given a variety of approaches for completing a task and flexibility for their own learning needs.

C. Knowledge

Demonstrates competence with subject matter	x
Translates abstract ideas and theories appropriately	x
Encourages critical thinking and analysis	x
Effectively answers student questions	x

x	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

It was evident that Kristi was comfortable and knowledgeable with the course materials and objectives. What struck me most was her ability to build in real-world examples of the learning objectives and outcomes for students. For example, she used her own writing and process for generating ideas, evidence, drafting, revising, and reflection for students. It is incredibly powerful for students to recognize that we are all learners, that we all struggle from time to time, and that our learning and writing process can often be messy at times. In this way, Kristi humanized the learning process and tasks she asked students to complete. She demonstrated her own humanity and ever growing knowledge by showcasing her own experiences and struggles and thus highlighting that learning and writing is a process that is often challenging, messy, and yet incredibly exciting and doable. I felt as if she consistently reiterated that we all get confused, make mistakes, and yet have a community of learners in the classroom that can help support and inform our learning goals. Thus, students seemed confident in trying out new forms of writing, posing new ideas or thoughts, and infusing them into the work they were completing in class.

She also encouraged critical thinking and tackling abstract ideas and theories by showing examples of the work she asked students to complete. While I often rely on past student examples (which Kristi does use), she extended that support by presenting work of authors, producers, and documentaries that highlighted the learning objectives of the course and projects. As time consuming as it must have been, Kristi threaded clips of a documentary for analysis and reflection on how community writing projects (and really any form of communication) must always attend to the goal, scope and intended audience. As instructors, we often miss the opportunity to extend the learning and work we asked students to do by simply providing student examples of past work. However, Kristi extended that conversation and presented powerful examples that enacted change within a community, an organization, and informed policy change. I plan on implementing the layered teaching and concept building strategies that Kristi demonstrated in my own teaching.

D. Student-Centered Learning Activities

Uses group work as needed to support students’ mastery of skills, concepts, and/or texts	x
Defines and communicates appropriate objectives for individual or group work	x
Provides clear, specific instructions for individual or group tasks	x
Models procedures, dispositions, and results using artifacts or simulations	x
Structures individual or group work effectively to guide students to accomplish tasks and reach objectives	x
Models peer review strategies designed to elicit concrete feedback on specific aspects of student work	x
Works with actual student texts in class	x
Assesses/monitors student understanding and/or learning	x

x	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi encouraged group work that supported peer interaction and collaboration, but gave options for students who might want to work on their own or a hybrid of the two. Group work was always related back to the work currently in progress and provided clearly defined objectives. In essence, rather than being busy work, the group work was an opportunity to share, listen, support, and learn from peers and the instructor. Kristi gave students the space to engage with peers, but ensured she was available if needed. She also effectively relied on her peer mentor as a guide and support system for students who might prefer to speak to a peer regarding questions or for clarification. Kristi used student work during class by presenting and activity, asking students to complete the activity in groups, and then using their work to guide discussion, lectures, and reflection. This approach aided in Kristi’s ability to assess student learning and understanding of key concepts and would shift quickly if needed to provide further support or mentoring for successful completion of the task and upcoming assignments.

Evaluation

x	Meets Expectations

	Does not meet Expectations

Notes:

Kristi was overwhelmingly successful in creating a community of learners that establishes a supportive social group where all members feel a sense of belonging and have shared common interests, experiences, and goals. Both Kristi, the peer mentor, and students engaged in a collective purpose where each member provided academic and social support. This was done by creating a space where everyone was committed to shared learning and supporting community goals through frequent collaboration and social interaction that drew on intentional pedagogical strategies that cultivated and reinforced positive interactions among members.

Doing so ensured that students felt that they belonged to their academic community; that they matter to one another; and that they could find emotional, social, and cognitive support for one another. Therefore, all felt comfortable engaging in dialogue and reflecting actively on taking ownership and responsibility of their own learning. Thus, I felt that students were able to engage in dialogue and reflection more actively on their personal and academic goals for the course, their degree, and their lives. Kristi used social icebreakers, metacognitive activities, content-based activities, by using information, casual, and discipline-specific activities and conversations that encouraged collaborative conversations with peers, peer mentor, and instructor.