(Re)Framing the Conversation about MOOCS: Rhetorical and Pedagogical approaches in Duke's FYC MOOC

Abstract:

MOOCs have become a contested area within higher education due to their perceived impact on its stakeholders. Currently, MOOCs are being presented as either the demise or resurrection of higher education. This latest technological trend has stirred debate about the cost of education, significance of learning, and the role of teachers. In addition, concerns about the impact of technology and business on education have arisen. An often overlooked area in regards to MOOCs are humanities courses, which are not as economical and transferable as other disciplines. As more and more disciplines are presented via MOOCs, the question arises: Will MOOCs work for Writing? Currently, there have been 3 Composition MOOCs taught at Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Ohio State University, respectively. This project will examine Duke University's composition MOOC, English Composition I: Achieving Expertise, using the syllabus, instructor reflection, and textbook to reconstruct the course, this paper explores the following questions: Will MOOCs work for writing instruction? What rhetorical and pedagogical strategies are used in a composition MOOC? Do these strategies "disrupt" or advance current rhetorical and pedagogical approaches in composition instruction both face-to-face and online? Ultimately, I argue that the rhetorical and pedagogical approaches used in MOOCs are not a step forward for rhetoric and composition; however, MOOCs provided an opportunity for innovation in writing in all environments.

Anderson, Terry and Jon Dron. "Three Generations of Distance Education Pedagogy." International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 12.3 (2011): 80-97. Web.Tate, Gary, Amy

Bartholomae, David. "Inventing the University." Journal of Basic Writing 5.1 (1986): 4-23. Web

Berlin, James A. "Richard Whatley and Current-Traditional Rhetoric." College English 42.1 (1980): 10-17. Web

Comer, Denise. English Composition I: Achieving expertise. Duke University and Coursera. n.d. Web. 12 Oct 2013.

--- "MOOCs Offer Students Opportunity to Grow as Writers." http://www.iiis.org/CDs2013/CD2013SCI/IMSCI_2013/PapersPdf/EA653TO.pdf

Daniel, Sir John. "Making Sense of MOOCs: Musings in a Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility." Journal of Interactive Media in Education 18 (2012): n.p. Web.


Fulkerson, Richard. "Composition at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century." College Composition and Communication 56.4 (2005): 654-687. Web.


Krause, Steven. D. "MOOC Response about 'Listening to World Music' " College Composition and Communication 64.4 (2013): 689-604 Print



Liyanagunawardena, Tharindu Rekha, Andrew Alexander Adams, and Shirley Ann Williams. "MOOCs: A Systemic Study of the Published Literature 2008-2012." The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 14.3 (2013): 202-226. Web

Rice, Jeff. "What I Learned in MOOC." College Composition and Communication 64.4 (2013): 695- 703

Rupiper, and Kurt Schick, Eds. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.


"Pedagogy." Coursera. n.d. Web 12 Oct 2013

"Postsecondary Success." Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. n.d Web. 12 Oct 2013.