Blog Post #2: Topic and Sources

Choice Paralysis in Action

Topic Discussion:


Alas, we're in week 4 of the semester, and I'm still refining my topic. The good (and bad) news is that I have so many research interests! I've been digging through databases for the past week and skimming lots of articles, but keeping in mind that we're writing literature reviews before we write our proposals, I'm trying to stick to something that already has a developed body of research that I could synthesize and build onto.

Since I'd like to create lesson plans for some sort of composition course, whether that be English 1010, English 2010, or a new Prof/Tech course, I looked into a number of sources regarding technical writing pedagogy. This bled into a few different possible research questions, all of which I've narrowed down to the themes of usability, accessibility, and universal design in the writing classroom.

Possible research questions (I did admittedly get some help from Chat GPT for these):
  • What role do student perceptions and feedback play in shaping the design and accessibility of college classrooms, and how can their input be effectively integrated into the decision-making process?
  • How can universal design principles be effectively implemented to create a more inclusive and accessible learning environment in college classrooms?
  • What are the key usability challenges faced by students with disabilities in college classrooms, and how can these challenges be addressed through technology and design?
  • How does the adoption of universal design principles in college classrooms impact the academic performance and overall experience of students with disabilities compared to traditional classroom settings?

Tentative Sources:


Dalton, E. M., Lyner-Cleophas, M., Ferguson, B. T., & McKenzie, J. (2019). Inclusion, universal design and universal design for learning in higher education: South Africa and the United States. African Journal of Disability, 8, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v8i0.519

Shaw, R. A. (2011). Employing universal design for instruction. New Directions for Student Services, 134, 21–33.

Michael, M. G., & Trezek, B. J. (2006). Universal design and multiple literacies: Creating access and ownership for students with disabilities. Theory Into Practice, 45(4), 311–318. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4504_4

Finn, D. (2022). Online learning and universal design: Practical applications for reaching adult learners. COABE Journal: The Resource for Adult Education, 11(1), 101–109.

Rao, K., Edelen-Smith, P., & Wailehua, C.-U. (2015). Universal design for online courses: applying principles to pedagogy. Open Learning, 30(1), 35–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2014.991300

Williams, J., Rice, R., Lauren, B., Morrison, S., Van Winkle, K., & Elliott, T. (2013). Problem-based universal design for learning in technical communication and rhetoric instruction. Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education, 1(1), 247–261.

Laflen, A. (2023). Exploring how response technologies shape instructor feedback: A comparison of canvas Speedgrader, google docs, and Turnitin Grademark. Computers and Composition, 68, 102777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2023.102777 

Chen, J., Hughes, S., & Ranade, N. (2023). Reimagining student-centered learning: Accessible and inclusive syllabus design during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Computers and Composition, 67, 102751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2023.102751 

Stillman-Webb, N., Hilliard, L., Stewart, M. K., & Cunningham, J. M. (2023). Facilitating student discourse: Online and hybrid writing students’ perceptions of teaching presence. Computers and Composition, 67, 102761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2023.102761 

Chong, F. (2016). The pedagogy of usability: An analysis of technical communication textbooks, anthologies, and course syllabi and descriptions. Technical Communication Quarterly, 25(1), 12–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572252.2016.1113073

Schneider, S. (2005). Usable pedagogies: Usability, rhetoric, and sociocultural pedagogy in the technical writing classroom. Technical Communication Quarterly, 14(4), 447–467. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15427625tcq1404_4

Sonka, K., McArdle, C., & Potts, L. (2021). Finding a teaching a11y: Designing an accessibility-centered pedagogy. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 64(3), 264–274. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPC.2021.3091190

Still, B., & Koerber, A. (2010). Listening to students: A usability evaluation of instructor commentary. Journal of Business & Technical Communication, 24(2), 206–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651909353304

Comments

  1. KerriSeptember 13, 2023 at 12:04 PM

    Those sources look fantastic, Emily! You've found a lot of great research directly related to usability in the classroom. I like that as an avenue for exploring education and technical communication principles. I should pay more attention to it in my own materials. I have some practices I use, but it's always good to find more information for being a better teacher!

    ReplyDelete
  2. EmilySeptember 13, 2023 at 5:47 PM

    I think I have a fairly balanced list of sources in terms of different journals and databases. Computers and Composition in particular has some great, relevant sources. That said, they're all journal articles, so I may look into more books and dissertations to get a more rounded pool of research. Topic wise, they're all fairly tied to pedagogy with subtopics in usability, student feedback, universal design, rhetoric, and digital composition. There's of course some overlap, but I think grouping them would ultimately be helpful for my future literature review.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Post #1: Topic Interests

Getting Started While I have a general idea for what I want my research topic to be, I still have some fine tuning to do. The one thing I know for sure is that I want my final project to be redesigned curriculum for English 1010 and English 2010 that I can call my own. I've found teaching to be incredibly fulfilling, and I think that using my technical writing background to develop lesson plans and signature assignments would be an appropriate culmination of my time in this program.  I brainstormed a few research subtopics with Dr. Joy several months ago, and a few of the ones she mentioned were instructional design, visual rhetoric, and user experience (the students would be the users). I've conducted a couple of usability tests as well, so that might be something worth looking into. The two courses I took last semester also piqued my research interests considering ethics; for one, it was algorithms and terms of service agreements, and for the other, it was how technical write...
Read more

Blog Post #4: Plans on Revision

Blog Post #4: Revising I've fallen some behind in this class because of an unexpected illness (autoimmune encephalitis, the doctors think; being in the hospital for 2.5 weeks was an experience!), but I'm finally on the mend and am working to get everything edited and submitted. I have a few citations I have to fix because I got the capitalization and page number formatting wrong, so that'll be my first task. Next I'll flesh out some of the areas that need a bit more context and cohesion for better flow. Finally, I'll finish my research proposal with either a usability test design and/or some sort of interviews. I'm reading chapter 7 today, so I should have a better idea of what I'd like to do after I play a bit of catch-up.  These past few weeks have been challenging, but I'm optimistic that I can make something out of this still. :)
Read more

Blog Post #5: What I've Learned This Semester

Research: No Easy Task! One of the main things I've learned about research designs this semester is how rigorous they really need to be in order to be sound. I always kind of knew that there needed to be checks and balances for testing different things, but there are so many different ways to do it! I've gotten a little bit more comfortable with quantitative research, although qualitative is still admittedly more my jam. Additionally, my role as a technical communicator is even more broad than I thought. I'm getting more into the ideas of accessibility and usability because they ultimately help people while allowing a larger population of people use tools and accomplish goals, and that's really what it's all about for me. :)
Read more