Ann Tippett, associateprofessor in the English/Philosophy department has taught ENG 250: Professional Communication online and face-to-face for 11 years now, and she has tweaked her course each time she has taught it. This summer she used an Instructional Development Stipend to make several significant enhancements to her course. This fall, her students are finding a audio introduction at the beginning of each course module, giving them an overview of the topic and assignments.
Prof. Tippett also expanded her use of audio files to comment on student drafts of various writing assignments – allowing her to walk through a draft with a student in the way she might if the student were in her office. Another addition this fall is a blog to supplement the traditional threaded discussion. The blogging experience may be familiar to students. Whether it is or isn’t, using it in class helps to introduce students to blogging as a new form of professional communication. Finally, by partnering with the on-line learning company Aplia, Prof. Tippett was able to offer both her on-line and face-to-face students access to a much less expensive e-book version of the text, still sold through the college bookstore. This site provides not only the text material, but access to grammar review exercises and drills as well.
Ann says that the Instructional Development Stipend “helped ensure that online learning, either as a course, or as an enhancement, gives professional communication students an edge by working with current technology.”
Stuart Blacklaw
Curriculum and Program Development
10/01/2009 |