Cary Moskovitz, Thompson Writing Program
- I had to settle a few things out of the room, so I missed the first few minutes. This program matches alumni readers to student papers to provide outsider feedback.
- Types of writing: environment and conflict, news writing and reporting, philosophy of intimacy, science versus the mosquito, etc.
- Need readers based on the type of writing the courses aim to achieve
- Look to alumni: people who don’t have much contact with students
- Not pedagogically inclined, just from the perspective of someone in the field who knows what writing for the field looks like
Matching students with readers:
- What are students writing?
- For whom are the students writing?
- Where would a reader encounter this text?
This is also a useful faculty development tool: what do they want students to really be able to do as a result of their course?
- This can’t work when instructors assign generic student writing, has to be assignments that people would have “in the real world”
- Students might write grant proposals, case studies, book review, essays (like in Harpers or New Yorker)
The process:
- Meet with instructors to see if it’s a good fit for their class (showed a worksheet to work through to help understand what type of publication/audience/etc their assignment would be)
- Matching (does the particular class need experts? just general subject areas? just newspaper readers? perhaps a subdiscipline area of expertise?)
- Project protocol (introductory meeting, student drafts paper and emails to reader, feedback, student reviews feedback and revises, follow up meeting, student revises and sends final version to reader)
Use webcams to create some kind of meaningful contact with the reader
- Think aloud response: read whole paper, and pause regularly to give thoughts about what they’re reading
- Record using Wimba “Voice Board” on Blackboard
We were able to listen to a few responses. I was surprised that some of the readers were harsher in tone than many examples of faculty comments that I have seen. I suspect it’s part because the reader has no relationship to the reader, and also that they don’t necessarily have pedagogical training.
Though potentially harsh, it’s a type of feedback the students won’t get any other way in the course of their education. Rich addition to their education experience.
I love the emphasis on real world writing and getting student experience. As Moskovitz points out, students learn a lot about how to write a paper for a class. We don’t do as much teaching about how to write for the real world. This process both gives students practice in how to write for the real world as well as how people will perceive their work.
Some students interact with their readers more frequently than required, and some stay in touch well after the paper is done.
In addition to the recurring theme of spoken feedback making it easier to provide more information, I liked that this project brings alumni into the education process. I think there’s a lot to be said for allowing alumni to have influence in the education process as well as letting students see where alumni have ended up.
Related posts:
Post a Comment