Exploring Writing Activities
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This article explores the use of writing activities in online learning. |
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What Are Writing Activities?
Writing in a variety of forms can engage students, from brief reflections to exploratory planning documents to full dissertations (very engaging, yes?) and much in-between. (What we present below can apply to many of the other learning activity types in this 5.2.1 folder, as students use writing in discussions, wikis, blogs, journals, and the like.)
Why Use Writing Activities?
Writing activities can be effective for engaging students at all levels of cognitive skills from Bloom’s taxonomy - remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating - and can provide an opportunity for students to interact with the instructor and/or fellow students in a way that other categories of activities cannot.
Also, Young and Sullivan (1984) posit that “one important reason we write is to enable ourselves to engage in a kind of thinking that would otherwise be beyond us, that is, extended thinking in which ideas are linked by complex logical and linguistic connections" (p. 216). In other words, the act of writing often creates the bridge we need to make connections from one thought to another. Writing in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) provides similar benefits in the development of cognitive skills and the assimilation of content with existing knowledge.
Best Ways to Use Writing Activities?
Writing activities can be formative in nature, such as asking students to write a quick blog or journal post about the muddiest point of the module so far. And, of course, writing activities can gauge student learning in a summative sense at the end of a module (e.g., discussion posts) or at the end of a course (e.g., a literature review turned in as a final project).
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Designing and Developing Writing Activities
Considerations and Resources
Planning a Writing Assignment
Your first decisions should be concerned with whether the learning objective merits a formative or summative writing activity. This will help you determine whether the activity is broad and open-ended or well-defined with particular guidelines. If the latter, you may find it useful to start your planning by designing a rubric that will explain your expectations and later help you grade.
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Writing structure and formatting requirements - e.g., level of formality, format, number of pages, spacing, margins, citation style, etc.
Whether to break up a large assignment into smaller assignments - outline, draft, revisions
Prerequisite/Post-requisite course content or activity
Examples to provide to students
Strategies to prevent plagiarism
Designing a Writing Activity
In the design stage, you will write out the details that you might communicate verbally in a traditional class. Refer to the checklist above from the English Department for guidance or the following additional options.
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Boise State Faculty and Staff Suggestions on Supporting Writing Development
- This page by Boise State’s Writing Center features slide presentations and information about citation, grammar, and the writing process.
Harvard University Writing Project
- Harvard University provides guides for writing in several disciplines, as well as an Instructor Toolkit.
- This resource for the University of Richmond includes ideas for building writing opportunities beyond papers and many practical tips.
References
Boettcher, J. (2011, February 23). Evidence of learning online: Assessment beyond the paper. Campus Technology. Retrieved from http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/02/23/Assessment-Beyond-The-Paper.aspx?Page=1
Boise State University Writing Center. (2013). Writing Center handouts\exercises. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.boisestate.edu/resources/
Essid, J. (2006). Writing across the curriculum. Retrieved from http://writing2.richmond.edu/wac/binder/
Harvard University. (2013). Harvard Writing Project. Retrieved from http://writingproject.fas.harvard.edu/pages/writing-guides
Keith, M., Black, J., Cox, S., & Heney, J. (2010). [PDF] Strategies and tips for effective writing assignments in online classes.
Example Writing Activity Directions
In the online environment, students need more explicit information in order to successfully complete the work. Remember that providing the purpose for activities and assessments, thorough instructions, and clear grading measures will help your course meet Quality Matters standards—and help your students understand what you expect.
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For consistency and to retain a copy of student work within your course, we suggest that students turn in all assignments using tools within the Learning Management System. Because Microsoft Word is free for Boise State students, written papers are best submitted as a Word document. If a writing assignment uses Google Docs, we recommend students submit a link AND a downloaded file (Microsoft docx or pdf).
Improving on a Writing Activity Design
Before Revision
The initial draft for a final paper writing assignment might have directions like this:
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Asking students to choose any topic about the subject matter puts tremendous responsibility on them to choose correctly. It also suggests that all topics are equally valid, which may not be true.
Here’s an alternative: Explore one genre, idea, or theme through the six major cultural periods of the course: Renaissance, Baroque, 18th Century, Romanticism, Impressionism, and Modernism.
The directions reference “appropriate formatting” but no specific formatting requirements are provided regarding paper length, style, citation method, etc.
Try this instead: Write 6 to 8 pages on your selected topic in a Microsoft Word document. Use font size 12 in Times New Roman or Arial, double-spaced. In addition to your paper, include a Works Cited page in MLA format.
The purpose of the final paper assessment is very broad and vague. In addition, Quality Matters Standard 2.4 suggests that you clearly state the relationship between learning objectives and course activities.
To explain how this assignment fits into the course, start the assignment description with this: The culminating assignment for the course is a final project that gives you the opportunity to address all three of our main course objectives.
In response to the writing prompt above, students may wonder whether the course textbooks and online lectures count as sources.
If the purpose of the assignment is to expand learning beyond the content provided, that should be clearly stated.
To reduce student anxiety and ensure students will turn in the level of work you would like to see, provide a sample final paper that students can review, list additional resources for completing the assignment such as the Boise State Writing Center, and provide an opportunity to submit a topic proposal for instructor feedback well in advance of the due date.
After Revision
Altogether, here's the same final paper assignment with more detailed instructions. Headings have been added to increase accessibility for students with disabilities and overall readability.
Final Paper (2 hours for initial selection and proposal, 6 hours for paper) Topic proposal due Thursday of Module 09 Paper due Thursday of Module 15 The culminating assignment for the course is a final project that gives you the opportunity to address all three of our main course objectives.
Assignment Explore one genre, idea, or theme through the six major cultural periods of the course: Renaissance Baroque, 18th Century Romanticism, Impressionism, Modernism. Use specific examples to make your points.
Format Write 6 to 8 pages on your selected topic in a Microsoft Word document. Use font size 12 in Times New Roman or Arial, double spaced. In addition to your paper, include a Works Cited page in MLA format.
Writing Guidelines Review the course objectives to better understand the focus of your paper you should write about. If you choose to write a paper about, say, the evolution of opera from the Renaissance to the present, you might discuss one opera (or even one aria) from each period and look at the way that it reflects the prevailing concerns of the society from which it comes. And since opera doesn't really start until the Baroque period, you might also look at the musical and literary forms of the Renaissance that led to the genre’s development. You are welcome to use outside research (including the Resource Materials in our course site), but the paper should be organized around your own conclusions and ideas about your topic’s evolution.
Due Dates You will have two due dates for this final project. (1) Submit a proposal through the provided assignment link on or before 11:59 p.m. MT on Thursday in module 09, and include the following: The topic of your project, The specific examples from each time period on which you plan to focus your discussion, and A detailed description of the format of your project. (2) Submit your final project through the provided assignment link by 11:59 p.m. MT on Thursday in module 15 (the Thursday of finals week).
Grading Criteria Your project will be graded on the following: Complete Thoughtful Answers (25 pts), Writing Mechanics (20 pts), Follow Instructions (10 pts), Critical Inquiry (20 pts). For a description of the criteria used to grade your paper, see the rubric below.
Help For help in formulating and writing your final paper, do take advantage of the Boise State Writing Center; you will find a link to Writing Center information in the eCampus Online Student Resources link in the Getting Started materials in this course site. Review your own paper against the grading rubric prior to submitting it for grading. The sooner you submit your proposal, the sooner I will be able to give you feedback and let you move forward with your plans. Please post any questions you have about this assignment to the Course Questions forum in the Discussions area.
Example Writing Activity Prompts
Example 1
UF 100 Work-Life Equation Course at Boise State University
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Answer each item within the Text Entry text area of this assignment--do NOT attach a file with your answers to these four questions. Be sure to number each of your replies with the matching number of the question. To see how this assignment will be graded, see the rubric below; also, be sure to ask questions in the discussion board forum as needed.
Example 2
UF 100 Work-Life Equation Course at Boise State University
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