Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing​, University of Findlay, 2015, English

As online writing instruction (OWI) rises in prevalence at U.S. universities, the need for research into effective pedagogies increases. Using interview and observation data from first year composition instructors, this thesis argues instructors' experiences with course management systems (CMS) and therefore the way they teach in those spaces are shaped by the limitations and constraints they perceive as existing in those spaces. While instructors recognize the potential significance of CMS, there is still great disparity between instructors' practices in face to face and CMS spaces with many instructors failing to see their use of CMS as part of the teaching practice.

Committee: Ronald Tulley (Committee Chair); Elkie Burnside (Committee Member); Michael Scoles (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Higher Education; Information Technology; Instructional Design; Rhetoric

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

With almost no exceptions, scholarship on writing transfer has been situated in face-to-face writing courses; any unique affordances and challenges OWI has for writing transfer are largely unknown. This study addressed that unknown territory through a convergent mixed methods research design involving students and instructors of online first-year writing courses at BGSU. The student-focused portion of the study, examining how students' perceptions of writing and themselves as writers developed during the course, involved a survey, given at the bookends of the Spring 2020 semester, and follow-up interviews with four of the survey participants. The faculty-focused portion involved a series of interviews supplemented with artifact collection in order to learn about how writing faculty practiced transfer-oriented pedagogy in online courses. The student portion of the study revealed a complex response to OWI, certainly complicated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that had quickly dominated life in the Spring 2020 semester. While data suggested some changes to students' perceptions about writing and writing transfer, the largest shifts occurred in response to questions about their perceptions of themselves as writers and their dispositions toward writing, with both negative and positive results. The faculty portion of the study revealed that faculty, though varied in their approaches toward adapting pedagogy for online courses, included dispositional development within their teaching goals and philosophies and responded, in their varied pedagogies, to the lack of immediacy that characterizes online learning. The alignment of dispositional goals named by faculty and the attitudes toward writing and learning reported by students suggests that OWI may offer positive development of certain learning dispositions toward writing transfer. This research suggests that writing instructors and program administrators should consider intentional alignment of dispositions w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Neil Baird (Advisor); Neal Jesse (Other); Dan Bommarito (Committee Member); Scott Warnock (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Pedagogy

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

While enrollments in online writing courses (OWCs), especially online first-year writing courses (OFYWCs) continue to grow at public and private non-profit institutions in the U.S., online writing instruction (OWI) scholars argue this change signals a desperate need for additional research on teaching and writing in online learning environments (OLEs), however, OWI research often overlooks student voices making this adaptation particularly challenging for online instructors. This study addresses this challenge for online instructors and gap in OWI research by amplifying the voices of students enrolled in OFYWCs at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) through the collection of survey and interview data. The results of this study will offer insight for online instructors teaching OFYWCs at BGSU by giving voice to students, experiences, and challenges and offering insight for potential pedagogical and teacher preparation approaches to OWI.

Committee: Lee Nickoson PhD (Advisor); Daniel Bommarito PhD (Committee Member); Sue Carter Wood PhD (Committee Member); Patrick Pauken PhD (Other) Subjects: Composition; Education; Rhetoric; Teaching; Technology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Arts and Sciences: English and Comparative Literature

This dissertation study seeks to determine whether feedback in the online Technical and Professional Communication classroom impacts student performance. This dissertation proposes that online Technical and Professional Communication instructors consider adopt such a feedback methodology in order to engage students with writing practices that better align with workplace writing activities. My research encompasses two parts: a small pilot study and a larger study. The larger study was developed from the results of an initial pilot study assessing impact of feedback on student performance in Technical and Professional Communication courses. Based on quantitative research through the analysis of student artifacts by outside reviewers, this larger dissertation study sought to determine the quantifiable impact collective feedback had on student performance versus that of individual feedback in online Technical and Professional Communication writing courses. Then, this study consulted participating faculty to determine hesitation or willingness of the instructor to adopt such pedagogical changes in their online courses. This feedback provided insights into how instructors respond to large shifts in pedagogy and impacts future adaptation of this study. Furthermore, this study also surveyed professionals within technical fields to gain a better understanding of the writing practices that take place within the workplace. Because a central aim to Technical and Professional Communication courses is to prepare students for workplace practice as technical writers, this study sought to determine if current academic practices align with those in the field. Through qualitative feedback from the field, this study proposes that collective feedback better prepares students for workplace practice than do academic feedback strategies currently used in the Technical and Professional Communication classroom. Ultimately, this study proposes that collective feedback provides opportunities (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lisa Meloncon Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Christopher Carter Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Beth Debs Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kirk St. Amant Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Safety

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, English

This thesis argues for the application of participatory design methodologies in the context of online writing center training programs. Such an approach will help engage consultants more actively in the work of writing centers and help them to better understand how to work effectively online. This research is a preliminary exploration of the connections between participatory design methodologies and online consultant training and uses two case studies of consultants in online training. Data is coded for three key themes that connect consultant reflections to participatory design: Previous Practice, Preferences, and Descriptions of Training Experiences. I conclude by contextualizing these themes in current scholarship, articulating a participatory online training program heuristic, and arguing for more research to better explore the relevance of these methodologies.

Committee: Tim Lockridge (Committee Chair); Heidi McKee (Committee Member); Katharine Ronald (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Rhetoric