Experiential Learning

On each site visit, we arranged map-making focus-groups with FYW instructors (full-time, part-time, and graduate students), in which we asked them to map the techno-ecologies on their campus.

Our map-making focus groups were 90-minutes long in total. The first 10 minutes of each focus group were devoted to introductions and shuffling, and then we structured our remaining time into three distinct activities:

A Semi-Structured Group Interview protocol (30 minutes) where we talked with participants about digital writing and professional development
A Map-Making protocol (30 minutes) where participants first created a list of the experiences they felt had best prepared them to teach digital writing and then followed instructions to map out their understanding of the techno-ecology on their campus
A Debriefing Dialogue (20-30 minutes) where participants talked about their maps and how their maps did or did not align with the experiences they identified as having prepared them to teach digital writing

You can find additional detail about these focus groups on our Current Project Background page in the section titled "Details: Map Making Focus Groups." Below are pictures of maps made by participants. Below the visual of each map, we have transcribed each participant’s list of meaningful experiences and the items listed on their map.

There are numerous similarities—both in overall appearance and what was included—across all four of the maps we gathered from SLCC, suggesting broad awareness of campus-wide spaces, places, resources, and people. Some reasons for this include that our participants work closely with each other (and glancing at the maps below, there is a lot of green, which demonstrates a focus on people more generally) and that educators at SLCC place high value on being able to provide easily accessible resources to their students, both on and off campus.

In addition to working with first-year writing students, the educators we spoke with at SLCC each hold a leadership role in a program or center on their campus that has significant concern for digital writing: Clint as the Program Manager of the College Writing and Reading Center (CWRC), Charlotte as one of the co-faculty leads for the Publication Center, Tiffany as Director of Writing across the College (WAC), and Brittany as an English Department Coordinator and someone who oversees the Online Plus program. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, each of them listed the program, services, and/or locations that the others are involved with. Additionally, all of their maps included eLearning, eportfolios, computer labs, Canvas, and IT/Tech help. In addition to noting the physical locations associated with eLearning, eportfolios, and faculty development, each of them also included a green sticker to emphasize the people associated with those spaces and/or mentioned specific people (e.g., instructional designers in eLearning, Emily Dibble as eportfolio director, Jason Pickavance as Director of Faculty Development). Although they referred to them in slightly different ways, all maps also referenced Open Educational Resources (OER)—some generally and some by specifically pointing to the Open Collection of Student Writing.

Items that showed up on multiple, but not all, maps included guided self-placement (3/4), All Access (3/4, this is a free service available for SLCC students, faculty and staff that allows them to use several college licensed applications from almost any type of personal device with an internet connection), and the library (2/4). Tiffany's map is the only one that includes material resources for faculty (i.e., laptops) and the Disability Resource Center. And Clint's map is the only one that includes a specific upper-level administrator.

While the maps and our conversations demonstrated how crucial collaboration is to these educators' abilities to teach digital writing, looking at the lists each person provided to rank what had helped prepare them to teach digital writing shows that self-directed work (e.g., experimenting with online technologies, individual exploration, using digital forms for oneself, using Linda.com or watching YouTube videos) and previous educational or professional experiences (e.g., previous jobs, graduate school work) have also been very important.

Below, you will find listed (1) the name of map-making participants along with their titles and number of years teaching in the program; (2) a photo of the map that they created; (3) a transcribed list of their ranked list of experiences that they felt best prepared them to teach digital writing; and (4) a map key that explains what the dots/stars on each map mean (e.g. People, Physical Spaces) along with a transcribed list by dot/star category naming elements that participants included on their maps.

Clint Gardner, Program Manager of College Writing and Reading Center

29 Years, 7 Months Teaching in the Program

Clint's list of influential experiences: (1) Experimenting with online technologies; (2) A lot of reading in scholarship about digital literacy/rhetorics; (3) Research in digital rhetoric on writing centers; (4) Early interest in computer technology (and writing); (5) Collaborative meetings with colleagues

Map Key

People (GREEN): eLearning staff; instructional designers; staff for eportfolios and the eportfolio lab; people in institutional marketing; IT/tech support staff; Associate Provost; Writing across the College staff; online writing and reading consultants; Online Plus writing fellows
Physical Spaces/Places (BLUE): computer labs; faculty development; Student Reading and Writing Center; Publication Center; Online Plus
Digital Spaces/Places (RED): Canvas (LMS); guided self-placement; MySuccess (online tool to connect students to offices and support across campus); eportfolios; SLCC website; Open Collection of Student Writing (OER); online Student Reading and Writing Center
Groups (YELLOW): eLearning; eportfolio; institutional marketing; IT/tech support; faculty development; Writing across the College; online writing and reading consultants; English department
Outsourced (PURPLE): OTW online tutoring
Online Technology (PINK): All Access (Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite)

Chalotte Howe, Associate Professor of English

16 Years Teaching in the Program

Charlotte's list of influential experiences: (1) Adobe InDesign-tool workshops in person and online, designed/laid out/printed/digitally published many documents and books; (1) Attended Digital Writing and Accessibility @ DHSI in Victoria, BC; (1) Learned prezi, canva, piktochart, etc-youtube videos, skillshare, linda.com, etc.; (2) Worked for IBM as a technical writer-designed a huge online user system for state office

Map Key

People (GREEN): Publication Center faculty and students; 5555 Tech Help faculty and students, voice on the other end of the phone; Media Services and eLearning specialists, faculty, and videographer; Clint Gardner and other people in the Online Student Writing and Reading Center ; eportfolio students and faculty; Brittany Stephenson and other Online Plus faculty; OER faculty and students; Jason Pickavance and faculty development staff
Physical Spaces/Places (BLUE): Publication Center computer lab and production room; AAB 327 computer lab; library as space for Online Plus; Tech building
Digital Spaces/Places (RED): Publication Center website (with lots of resources); Tech building; training on MySLCC and Canvas (LMS); Canvas; OER epublications
Technology products (PINK): Adobe products (which are available to faculty anywhere but for students only on campus)

Tiffany Rousculp, Professor of English and Director of Writing Across the College

26 Years Teaching in the Program

Tiffany's list of influential experiences: (1) Needing to use Canvas; (1) Witnessing the power of digital writing; (1) Enjoying teaching it because students know more than I do; (2) Using digital forms myself; (3) Accessibility issues-but also concerned with accessibility to digital materials

Map Key

People (GREEN CIRCLE): Publication Center staff; people associated with online courses; Emily Dibble (eportfolio Coordinator); Tiffany Rousculp (Writing across the College Director); eLearning instructional designers; Jason Pickavance (faculty development); Student Writing and Reading Center staff; people in the English department; student services; IT staff; Lakeisha Fehoko (Director of Testing Services); Disability Resource Center staff
Physical Spaces/Places (BLUE STAR): Publication Center; Online Plus; eportfolio; all the student labs; eLearning instructional desginers' offices; Student Writing and Reading Center; IT offices
Digital Spaces/Places (RED STAR): Publication Center; online courses; Online Plus; eportfolio; Open Collection of Student Writing; faculty eportfolios; Writing across the College website; staff support; online tutoring; videos; Canvas (LMS); faculty training; Student Writing and Reading Center; IT websites, security, and everything behind the scenes; guided self-placement
Groups (YELLOW STAR): Publication Center; eportfolio; Writing across the College; Canvas; faculty development; English department; student services; Math department; Disability Resource Center
Resources for faculty (PINK CIRCLE): laptops for faculty; divisions/departments

Brittany Stephenson, Associate Professor of English

18 Years Teaching in the Program

Brittany's list of influential experiences: (1) Team teaching/team professional development meetings for online instructors at SLCC; (2) Grad school-Masters in Instructional Technology (1999) and Masters in American Studies (2013); (3) Workshops/sessions at conferences (TYCA, CCCC, DPL, Open Ed); (4) Individual exploration; (5) SLCC e-learning classes, workshops, committees; (6) Informal conversations with colleagues; (7) Student projects/presentations/consultations

Map Key

People (GREEN): Emily Dibble (eportfolio Coordinator); Online Plus coordinators; eLearning staff and instructional designers; Lisa Bickmore and Charlotte Howe (Publication Center staff); library staff; Jason Pickavance (Faculty Development Diretor); Tiffany Rousculp (Open Collection of Student Writing); Clint Gardner and other student Writing and Reading Center staff; Tiffany Rousculp (Writing across the College); people invovled with department Canvas development sites; eLearning/meadia support video people; tech support staff
Physical Spaces/Places (BLUE): eportfolio lab; Online Plus; eLearning; Publication Center; library; faculty development workshops; Student Writing and Reading Center; eLearning/Media Support; tech support
Digital Spaces/Places (RED): eportfolio lab; Online Plus; Canvas (LMS); eLearning; Publication Center; Open Collection of Student Writing; Student Writing and Reading Center; Writing across the College; department Canvas development sites; eLearning/Media Support; tech support; All Access pathways
Groups (YELLOW): Online Plus; Publication Center; library; OER initiatives and PressBooks; Student Writing and Reading Center; department Canvas development sites; eLearning/Media Support; self-guided placement
No sticker but listed: labs, computer carts, projectors in classrooms