Writing Workshop

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  IST 511
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This affordable learning resource is being utilized in a MIST Program (Instructional Design) course for graduate students by Dr. Sarah Evanick at California State University Monterey Bay. The affordable resource chosen for this course provides APA, academic writing and research formatting and  guidelines. The main motivation to adopt an affordable resource was to reduce student cost and to use up to date and appropriate materials. Most students access the resource in the course. 

Course Title and Number  IST 511
Brief Description of course highlights: Provides individualized workshops and tutoring to incoming graduate students in preparation for writing-intensive graduate studies. Covering writing strategies, academic writing skills, APA style and technologies used in writing. Designed to be taken with, or before, other graduate-level courses.  Typically Offered: Fall term only.  Units: 2-4.   IST 511
 
Student population: IST 511 is offered to MIST graduate (School of Computing and Design) students in the Fall semester. There are no prerequisites. MIST students take this course to learn how to write academically and or to refresh their writing skills.

Learning or student outcomes:  List student learning outcomes for the course.
Define the essential elements of the APA 7th Edition Style Guide which are needed for writing tasks in graduate school
· Understand and apply APA style
· Manuscript Elements
· Organization
· Writing Style
· Reducing Bias in Language and topic
· Grammar and Usage
· Punctuation, Spelling, Capitalization, Italics, Abbreviations, Numbers
·  General Guidance on Tables and Figures

Define Plagiarism
· When to Cite
· Quoting and Paraphrasing
· Citing References in Text
· Basic In-Text Citation Styles
· Reference List and Components

Identify the need for various writing genres
- Communicate ideas in writing using clear, concise, scholarly language
- Integrate own ideas with those of others
- Practice and improve their use of basic writing skills including grammar, mechanics, sentence formation and flow, and document structure
- Demonstrate knowledge of Word Program functions
- Develop flexible strategies for generating initial work, revising, editing, and proofreading written materials
- Analyze and critique their own work and the work of others

Syllabus from the course: IST 511 Syllabus
Sample assignment:
· Annotated Bibliography: Students are to complete an annotated bibliography in preparation for the literature review.
· Literature Review: Students are to complete a short literature review that applies to their chosen capstone project idea.
· Practical Application of Learned Writing Skills: Each week you'll be evaluated on practical application of writing skills. This includes APA, grammar, paragraphing, academic writing, sentence structure, proficient use of Word, punctuation, active voice, etc.
· Non-Graded Quizzes: These assessments will assist you in understanding and using the practical application of This includes APA, grammar, paragraphing, academic writing, sentence structure, proficient use of Word, punctuation, active voice
·  Discussion Forums: Discussions will be utilized to express your thoughts, collaborate with classmates and as a platform for engaging and meaningful learning through discussion.

Textbook or OER/Low cost Title: APA 7th Edition Resources

Brief Description: I chose all of the resources based on the content and alignment with the course learning objectives. Each resource provides specific information and or guidance on how to reach the learning objective. A variety of resources for annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, academic writing, third person, research techniques, Google and Word Doc formatting.

Please provide a link to the resource
Types of Plagiarism
Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism Quiz
Google Doc Tutorial
APA Referencing Quiz
APA Activity
Literature Review Guide

Authors:  American Psychological Association for 7th ed formatting; Various authors for articles and videos; Instructor created materials

Student access:  Students can access all of the materials through the Canvas Course 

Supplemental resources: Instructor created content, websites, videos, articles, interactive quizzes. In addition, There are slide presentations, Interactive quizzes, Videos, Articles

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  $100

License: The resources are openly licensed 

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. My motivation in choosing a variety of resources was reducing costs for students and providing the most appropriate and informative resources for each learning objective in the course.

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? I researched resources for each learning objective per module. It was trial and error to see what would best suit the needs of students and learning objectives.

Sharing Best Practices: My best practice is to research resources online, contact my campus library for guidance. I also contact text book publishers to inquire about free/accessible resources that may be available. 

Describe any key challenges you experienced, how they were resolved  and lessons learned. The challenge I encountered was not preparing in an advance amount of time, it is best to plan months ahead to ensure the most appropriate resources are available. I also faced the challenge to find a text that provided a variety of APA formatting and academic writing guidelines for an economical price for students. I was able to locate a variety of resources that meet the needs of the course and provide the materials necessary to teach students appropriately. 

Instructor Name: Sarah Evanick, PhD. 
I am an Instructional Design professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.  

Please provide a link to your university page.
https://csumb.edu/scd/sarah-evanick/

Please describe the courses you teach.
IST 511 Writing Workshop: Graduate Academic Writing Workshop that focuses on APA 7th edition formatting, annotated bibliographies, literature review, and overall improvement of writing skills.

IST520 Learning Theories: Graduate students learn about learning, design theories and apply their knowledge in assignments that guide them in the development of pedagogical practices and their culminating capstone project.

IST 524 Instructional Technologies: This is a foundation course in Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) program. It provides an intro to the field and profession of Instructional Technology (IT). Specifically, it provides beginners a sense of history, current issues, future trends, and an overview of how the components of the field work together.

IST 624 Research and Design Methods: This course introduces quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods research methodologies and fundamental statistics in the context of instructional technologies and education. The course simultaneously provides an in-depth review of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods research methodologies while giving directive in writing a complete research proposal based on a student’s capstone idea or one of their choosing. The course provides opportunity for engagement, collaboration and critical thought in peer and instructor discussions based on research and writing readings and assignments.

CST 274 History of Communication Technologies and Politics in America: Examines the history of communications technologies and how they have shaped and been shaped by politics throughout American history. This fascinating story begins in pre-revolutionary America, when newspapers helped unite the colonies as a nation, and moves through the telegraph, telephone, motion pictures, radio, broadcasting, network and cable television, personal computers, the Internet, mobile phones, and social media. The course concludes by leveraging our understanding of communications history to address some of the constitutive choices we now face as a nation, such as the antitrust cases recently filed against Google and Facebook, censorship and free speech, and modifying or revoking Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that has protected Internet companies from legal liability

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.   My philosophy is to design an engaging  course that allows students to practically apply what they are learning in real time.  I am interested in how people learn based on their backgrounds, culture, native language and experiences. I am also interested in using AI to its best potential as an educator and for students.