To Write or Not to Write: Should We Get Rid of College Essays?

This morning, I woke up to a heated discussion on the WPA (Writing Program Administration) listserv around Rebecca Schuman's latest article, "The End of the College Essay," on Slate. Essentially, Schuman thinks instructors hate grading college papers just as much as how their students hate writing those papers: So you know what else is a … Continue reading To Write or Not to Write: Should We Get Rid of College Essays?

Virtual Cocktail Party: Can Online Education Teach Social Skills?

Those of you who have been around me probably know that my research interests revolve around digital rhetoric and online pedagogy, especially the development of MOOCs, or massive open online courses. This summer, I took a composition MOOC offered on Coursera, delivered by Georgia Tech, as part of my research in digital rhetoric. Following a phenomenological approach, … Continue reading Virtual Cocktail Party: Can Online Education Teach Social Skills?