"The World" -- reinvented

The project for this class in teaching writing enables me a perfect opportunity to reinvent a course I currently instruct in international studies. Last year at Westminster we launched a new course titled “The World @ Westminster.” The goal for this course was to create a student-driven online magazine dedicated to international news and events. Each student was assigned a particular region of the world to follow, and was required to submit a short written entry on the most pressing happenings coming out of their region each week. This format proved to be a very effective way of getting students engaged in international news, but the fault of the course was the following of the news became much more important than the quality of the student’s entries. The goal for my project this summer is to develop a new course agenda, syllabus, and opening presentation that will help infuse this curriculum with a solid grounding in composition and online journalism.

Over the next three weeks I will devise a new approach to evaluating student entries and providing critical feedback. This new system of evaluation will be reflected in the course’s grading matrix and class structure. I plan on spending more time in-class dedicated to workshops and peer review, as well as presenting examples of other effective online publications and tips on how to convey complex stories within the confines of the “blogosphere.”

The deliverables from this project will include a syllabus complete with a class outline, basis of evaluation, and course structure. I will also submit a PowerPoint presentation introducing students to the course, and a handout explaining what is to be expected from a contributor to our student publication. All in all, this summer’s seminar fits nicely into my priority of becoming a more effective teacher and communicator!