Title

Asynchronous Discussions for First-Year Writers and Beyond: Thinking Outside the PPR (Prompt, Post, Reply) Box

Campus

Gainesville

Publication date

2021

Publisher

Utah State University

Book or Journal Information

Thurston, Travis N., et al. "Resilient Pedagogy: Practical Teaching Strategies to Overcome Distance, Disruption, and Distraction." Utah State University, 2021.

Keywords

asynchronous discussions, pedagogy, instructional design, genre-based pedagogy

Abstract

What happens to class participation during a pandemic, when traditional instruction shifts to online and hybrid formats? This chapter explores the possibilities for resilient online pedagogy through the redesign of asynchronous discussion forums in hybrid and online classes. After a review of both the perils and possibilities of such forums, I outline practical redesign strategies for four forum elements: prompts, parameters, feedback practices, and rubrics. The effects of these adjustments are illustrated with examples from upper-division courses in linguistics and ESL teaching methods. Next, I address the particular difficulties faced by first-year writing students in online discussions; building on tenets of genre-based pedagogy, I present a model for introducing asynchronous discussion in first-year writing courses, especially those paired with corequisite or “learning support” sections. The redesign model suggests that even in times of uncertainty, strategically managed online discussion forums can support resilient pedagogy and student learning.

Author Biography

Miriam Moore is an assistant professor of English at the University of North Georgia, Gainesville. She holds an MA and PhD from the University of South Carolina, and she has taught composition, ESL, linguistics, and grammar at community colleges and universities in South Carolina, New Jersey, and Virginia. Her research interests include metalinguistic awareness, multilingual composition, and grammar pedagogy.

Supplemental content
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Miriam Moore and Resilient Pedagogy

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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Asynchronous Discussions for First-Year Writers and Beyond: Thinking Outside the PPR (Prompt, Post, Reply) Box

What happens to class participation during a pandemic, when traditional instruction shifts to online and hybrid formats? This chapter explores the possibilities for resilient online pedagogy through the redesign of asynchronous discussion forums in hybrid and online classes. After a review of both the perils and possibilities of such forums, I outline practical redesign strategies for four forum elements: prompts, parameters, feedback practices, and rubrics. The effects of these adjustments are illustrated with examples from upper-division courses in linguistics and ESL teaching methods. Next, I address the particular difficulties faced by first-year writing students in online discussions; building on tenets of genre-based pedagogy, I present a model for introducing asynchronous discussion in first-year writing courses, especially those paired with corequisite or “learning support” sections. The redesign model suggests that even in times of uncertainty, strategically managed online discussion forums can support resilient pedagogy and student learning.