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last.updated 5.5.14

Instructional Tool Review (PhD)

Purpose

Both corporate entities and non-corporate entities have generated a plethora of tools designed to facilitate distance learning instruction. While some are quite useful, others can make instructors feel as if they shackled to 50lb. weight. Since many of you will be in a position to critique or chose pedagogical tools for your own classes or for a program, you will want to develop strategies for evaluating them.

Instructions–Invention

You will need to start by finding an instructional tool or a resource used to facilitate online writing instruction. It is best to choose a tool that was designed for pedagogical purposes; if you choose not to, consult the instructor. Some examples of an instructional tool include...

• textbooks, handbooks (i.e., something specifically designed for a distance learning course)
• software programs, both corporate and freeware
• manuals, wizards, and tutorials
• sourcebooks or instructor manuals (e.g., how-to do distance learning)

If you question whether an item you want to work with constitutes a pedagogical tool, ask the instructor.

Once you have chosen a tool, examine it closely.

• what is the tool claiming to teach? or facilitate the teaching of? what is its approach to achieving these goals? Do you think it will be successful? why?
• If it is a tool that facilitates distance learning, how well does it do this? How does it position the instructor? How does it position the students? How condusive is it for the teaching of writing?
• who is the intended audience(s) for the tool? is this produced for the intended audiences? What knowledge might the audience need to have before using the tool? How might the tool be revised for various audiences?
• if the tool was not originally designed for pedagogical purposes, what does the tool do? what does the tool allow you to do in pedagogical situations? why do you think it is condusive for teaching writing? how does it compare to similar tools that have been deisgned for pedagogical purposes? considering the cost, which would you adopt and why?
• how easy is the tool to use? Consider various audiences
• how does this tool compare to comparable tools? would you adopt this tool over a similar one?

You may also do some research about what others are saying about the tool. Look for articles, reviews, or ratings of this tool. Ask yourself: How do others' experiences with this tool compare to mine? What might account for similarities and differences?

Instructions–Writing

Addressing an audience of online writing instruction instructors, compose a 1500 word, single-spaced review of the tool you chose. Because it is important to write a cohesive review, you do not have to answer all of the heuristics above. However, you will want to address those heuristics that will help your audience decide whether to use this product or not by addressing those that answer the questions below. This review should at the very least include...

a description of the tool: what the tool is? what the tool generally does? where can your audience find the tool? what context is it normally used in?

an argument about whether distance learning writing instructors should adopt this tool: would you adopt this tool for an English Studies course? which course(s)? under what circumstances? why?

support for your argument: such as–how easy was the tool to find? how easy was it to learn? use? teach with? could you customize its use? Use specific details about the tool to support your argument. Also you must place this section of the review into conversation with scholarship in the field, espeically what we have read in class [in this section you may choose to support your argument with other's reviews or refute others' opinions]

You may also choose to include relevant visuals in your review to illustrate a point and support your argument.

Instructions–Presentation

Develop a five to ten minute video presentation that highlights the review you have written. Note that due to the presentation's brevity, you cannot cover everything that you covered in a 1500 word blog entry. So you will want to provide highlights of what you wrote in the blog entry.

This can be an elaborate movie or it can be as simple as a PowerPoint Presentation with a voiceover or a review you do using the video camera on your smart phone. The quality of these video can be rough; the purpose is to present the context cogently. You can use any available media to support your presentation. Post these videos and the written reviews to your blog by the beginning of class; we will spend time at the beginning of class watching the videos and letting you answer questions.

Criteria

Logistics:

• 1500 words
• single-spaced
• This document is due on the day you present the review at the beginning of class posted to your blog
• 100 points

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

• a sense of audience–do you understand the range of your audience, mostly other distance learning writing instructors, and their understanding of these tools? do you consider a wider audience who may see these texts?
• an informed understanding of the tool and how the tool can be used in an online writing course
• an accurate and detailed description of the tool
• a well-supported argument
• appropriate use of conventions, including MLA, APA, or an appropriate citation formatting