Pandemic Pages: Teaching Writing Virtually to Undergraduate and Graduate Students During COVID-19

Introduction

Writing practices - whether in a face-to-face or virtual environment - increase learning and retention, aid in reflection, provide an outlet for critical thinking, transfer knowledge and practices among contexts, and when fostered and developed, enhance a student's self-agency and networked learning (i.e., using communication through collaboration to support learning). Specifically, writers' capacities for writing, in and beyond the university, constitute a skill that enhances college and career success. Yet, writing is challenging. While most college students experience years of writing instruction and practice exposure, they may not feel confident in their writing abilities or have a clear understanding of how to improve their skills. Collins (2015) notes, “Few…students will tell you that they see no value in becoming better writers; most want to improve but do not know how to do so” (p. 51). People often assume students enter higher education with the writing skills necessary for success (Brooks-Gillies et al., 2015), but the adverse is true (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012), especially when considering writing in virtual settings (Leu et al., 2014). During the current time of transforming instruction to online delivery methods, one cannot ignore the importance of teaching writers and writing skills for student success.

Research indicates students lack the writing development necessary for success in academia and industry (Zimmer et al., 2020a). These results mirror research demonstrating college graduate's writing insufficiencies outside academia (Sacher, 2016). This concern only increases when educators transfer writing instruction to virtual learning platforms (Poniatowski, 2012). By focusing on ongoing self-agency and networked learning (i.e., collaborative online learning), educators can make more significant strides in writing sustainability through virtual practices and conditions conducive to writing success. Furthermore, educators can enhance and even increase the quality and quantity of authentic writing instruction in higher education.

Current world events have caused educators to re-evaluate their teaching and delivery methods (Hodges et al., 2020a). Teachers, at all levels, have found themselves faced with transitioning their classes to online environments. This rapid shift in March 2020 was reactive in nature but a great learning opportunity for all. Discussions began concerning what classes were more suited to online delivery and what platforms were best suited to enhanced learning and student engagement. While unknowns exist in the future of education, evidence confirms that writing instruction must be a part of the conversation regarding best practices and learning methods.

This chapter covers the following objectives:

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  Exploring pedagogical shifts for converting writing instruction from face-to-face or hybrid settings to fully online environments.

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  Providing resources and pedagogical moves that increase student engagement and learning in virtual settings.

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  Acknowledging challenges with solutions and opportunities for creativity to improve writing instruction quality at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

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  Analyzing two instructors' virtual teaching practices during the pandemic as methods for re-envisioning courses, utilizing technology with intentionality, and reflecting on student engagement and writing growth.

Background

Writing is multifaceted and complex, requiring writers to know mechanics, English language conventions, genre, audience, vocabulary, organization, and voice, among many other skills (Graham, 2018). Writing in digital settings adds multimedia considerations such as graphics, illustrations, videos, and additional features such as hyperlinks and structural shifts (i.e., digital literacy: Hodges & Matthews, 2020; Schneider, 2015; Zimmer et al., 2020a). Writing during a global pandemic now adds concerns about safety, health, and offsetting the impacts of isolation (Hodges et al., 2020a). Therefore, teaching writing in digital settings during a pandemic comes with many challenges and obstacles.