Principles and practices in online writing instruction

Graduation date: 2014This thesis explores the administrative issues that factor into the teaching of writing online. I explore these issues by situating the Conference on College Composition and Communication Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Best Practices for Online Writing Instruction at the center of this project by both examining and critiquing it as a resource. Through a case study of the way in which Oregon State develops and delivers online writing courses, I fully explore the contents of this Position Statement to its boundaries and illustrate how other institutions can identify their own model of instruction in order to use the Position Statement as a critical lens. Also in this exploration, I identify and articulate the limitations of the Position Statement based upon its minimal treatment of the issues of instructional design, technological literacy and access, administrative complexity, and the situation of writing programs within institutional settings. I address these shortcomings of the current Position Statement in order to advance the field of composition studies by demonstrating the opportunities available to the CCCC Committee for Effective Practices in Online Writing Instruction to revisit these areas and revise the document when the time has come to do so