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last.updated 1.6.06

 

Writing Workshop

Purpose

As professional writers–in its broadest definition–you will need to have a clear understanding about how writing works in the contexts that you will be working within. Many of you will be asked to adopt leadership roles and teach new colleagues or colleagues with different specializations about writing within your context. This workshop will give you practice at preparing and conducting these types of workshop. Furthermore, the presentation serves as an approrpriate culmination of the work you have done this semester.

Instructions

Epistemological Process

Each individual will work in groups of three or four with peers who are in the same or a similar discipline.

Groups Members
1 Jeri, Linda
2 Kristen, Mary, Starr
3 Alauna, Laura, Mary Cate
4 Jennifer, Liz, Sarah

Drawing upon the collective research that you have done throughout the course of the semester, you will develop and conduct a thirty minute writing workshop. The subject of this workshop can be...

  • the presentation of a composing problem that writers in your discipline face, with a proposed solution
  • about how to be a successful writer in this discipline
  • any other writing issue related to your discipline that should be addressed

Your peers will serve as your audience and act as newcomers to your discourse community.

Writing

Plan

Your first step as a group is to submit a plan.

In this plan you will...

  • explain what subject you plan to cover
  • justify why you plan to cover this subject–a brief justification about why this subject matter is important
  • develop a 250-350 word abstract that includes what will be covered during the workshop, why this subject needs to be addressed, and what outcomes the participants can expect.
  • compose an outline of the workshop's content with a timeline and assigned roles (rarely does anybody precisely adhere to these timelines, but it is useful to give yourself this structure)
  • describe what you may need from the instructor to successfully complete the workshop

As a group, use Blackboard to submit your plan to the instructor as an email attachment [groupX-plan.doc] by the end of the day on March 24th.

Workshop & Portfolio

On April 25th, each group will be given the thirty minutes to conduct their workshop. Remember that the other students are serving as your audience. You will also want to think through the logistics of the distance education set-up. Consider how you will be able to use the media, the space, and the instructor to present your material and communicate with participants.

For the end of the workshop, you will want to develop an evaluation form that your attendees can fill out an provide you with immediate feedback. This should be distributed electronically through Blackboard. You will want to respond to this feedback in your demonstration of application.

Collect all of the documents that you produced for the workshop, including those that you have already submitted (which do not have to be revised), anything that you handed out during the workshop, and any other documents you find relevant to the process. Place these in a manila folder and submit them to the instructor at the end of class (if you do not have a group representative at the main campus, submit this through the site director).

Demonstration of Application

In a 500-750 word statement...

  • breifly summarize what you did for the workshop
  • explain how it fit into the course's framework by drawing on the scholarship we covered in class.
  • describe what you think went well, what could have gone better, and what you would do next time. You should use the feedback from your peers to inform some of this discussion
  • evaluate your group members
  • cite your sources

Using Blackboard, submit the demonstration of application to the instructor in the body of an email by the end of the day on Wednesday, April 26th.

By writing a demonstration of application, it gives me a sense of how each member understood the project. For the most part you will receive a group grade for the workshop and an individual grade for the demonstration of application. However if there is strong evidence that there was a disparity in the contribution and understanding of the workshop, then individual grades will be assigned accordingly.


Criteria

Evaluation

  • the Group Plan will receive a collaborative process grade
  • the Portfolio & Presentation will be assigned a collaborative grade (150 points)
  • the Demonstration of Application will receive an individual grade (100 points)

In addition to the general evaluation criteria, the instructor will be looking for evidence of...

  • a sense of audience–was the presentation designed for newcomers to your field? were you able to respond to your actual audience's needs?
  • a process–was progress satisfactorily male throughout the project?
  • a strong sense of collaboration
  • clarity on what the attendees are to do and learn during this workshop
  • clear, manageable instructions that are easy to follow–if applicable
  • an informed understanding of writing and rhetoric scholarship
  • appropriate use of conventions, especially a readable format that complies to document design principles
  • a professional persona
  • attention to the time limit