MOOville: The Writing Project's Own "Private Idaho"

Abstract

When people say that computer technology has become an essential tool for teaching college-level writing, they're right -- but often for the wrong reasons. Cheerleaders for high technology are quick to cite the word processing programs that make revising an rewinding so easy, and the features for correcting grammar, punctuation and spelling that students can use when they're online. What people who praise computers often forget is that there's a lot more to writing than revisions, periods and commas, or subject-verb agreement. For students to learn to write, they must also understand the high-level thinking, as well as the mechanics, that college-level writing requires. For students to appreciate the need for thinking as they write, computers must be more than the high-powered tools envisioned by technophiles. Computers must enable teachers to create an environment that introduces students to the need for organizing, clarifying and expanding their thoughts before narrowing their focus to the mechanics of writing. In theory, this is how computer technology can realize its full potential as an aide an stimulant to the writing process. But can a major university realistically expect a computerized environment -- no matter how sophisticated and inviting -- to provide students with the understanding and the enthusiasm they need to work at all levels of the writing process and substantially improve their writing? * Grant Offer Starts It All What triggered these thoughts and questions at the University of Florida was an offer made in late 1993 by IBM Corp. to apply for a Shared University Research (SUR) grant. If our request was approved, IBM would donate sophisticated computer hardware and software for the university to use with students, for whatever subject the equipment was needed most. When we applied, we specified that the grant would be used to teach undergraduate courses in English literature and composition. Apparently, our request was unusual; most universities use their SUR grants to teach science and engineering courses. IBM approved the grant and in so doing, set in motion a complex and fascinating project. IBM donated 186 workstations for students and instructors, along with 12 servers. The servers would hold students' writing files, manage applications such as word processing, and provide access for students to Florida's state-wide library system and the Internet. In early 1994, the University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences began to prepare five computer-based classrooms for teaching freshmen and sophomore students in the fall semester, less than six months away. The logistics of this effort, called The Writing Project, gave us pause: Each semester 2,500 freshmen and sophomores would take introductory composition and literature courses from more than 100 instructors. Could we use high technology with so many students and still maintain the small class sizes and personal interaction with instructors that we believe are vital for high-quality instruction? More important, could technology help us make English literature and composition come alive for students in ways that traditional lecture-and-discussion methods of teaching could not? * Techno-Phobes Are Welcome From the start, The Writing Project was designed to supplement, not to replace, more traditional approaches to teaching English literature and composition. Still, we needed to compare, as objectively as possible, the two approaches. To do this, first we decided that students who loved technology could not be allowed to select the computer-based sections, while students who feared technology could not avoid it by selecting the traditional sections. Freshmen and sophomores were placed randomly in classes with one approach or the other. Next, when the college asked the English department to select instructors for The Writing Project, we specifically asked for teachers who were comfortable working with computers. …