ENG 106: Basic Writing
Hybrid & Traditional
As an adjunct professor in the Academic Support Department, I assisted in curriculum and syllabus development for Basic Writing (ENG 106), and piloted the hybrid course structure (half in-class, half on-line). Incidentally, the Basic Writing hybrid course is also implemented in BYU-Idaho's Pathway Program, where I taught for a semester as a remote instructor. In both hybrid and traditional sections, I enjoyed working with students on a personal level and planning lessons specific to their needs. We focused on Detail & Description, Voice & Tone, Organization, Clarity, and other essential writing principles, refining each skill through in-class and online discussion boards and specific writing assignments. ENG 106: Basic Writing The writing assignments are designed to emphasize different writing skills that will prepare the students to compose and edit quality work in their future college careers. During the course of the semester, students complete several mini essays (2-3 pages). These include descriptive essays (Love Letter, Rivertooth, and Overlooked Beauty) and cognitive essays (This I Believe, Critical Response, and Critical Thinking). Additionally, students complete a personal and a persuasive essay that hopefully cumulate the writing skills they've learned throughout the semester. Basic Writing also focuses on the students' grammar skills. To gauge a student's improvement in grammar principles, each student takes a pretest and a midterm/final test of 100 questions. Overall, students generally improve anywhere from 10-20 points on a 100-point scale. I developed a final written exam to accommodate students with test anxiety or other learning difficulties. Though rigorous, the written final allows students a "real life" grammar and editing experience similar to the exercises I generated for class practice. New Content After several semesters, I decided to implement subtle changes to the course structure. I developed new assignments and evaluation rubrics, including a writing prompt journal, a group blog mission statement and final blog post, and the capstone writing project, Writing for a Venue. These assignments encourage students not only to work as a cohesive unit, but also allow them the freedom to write a professional article for a venue of their choice. |
Highlights
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