The theoretical and practical resources linked and annotated below offer an overview of teaching writing in online and hybrid environments. It is important to note that while there is plenty of research and examples on the teaching of writing in an online format, there are very limited resources for and research into the teaching of writing in the hybrid modality. The resources below are divided according to the resource’s primary purpose.
Theoretical Resources
- Rice, Rich, and Kirk St. Amant, editors. Thinking Globally, Composing Locally: Rethinking Online Writing in the Age of the Global Internet. Louisville, CO, Utah State University Press, 2018.
This book explores teaching writing online in a global educational and cultural context. In addition to focusing on global audiences and settings, the volume also offers pedagogical tools and strategies for incorporating digital resources into online courses. - Topacio, Katrina Ninfa M. “Exploring the Use of Online Educational Platform in Teaching Writing among ESL Students.” Journal of Language and Linguistics Studies, vol. 14, no. 1, 2018, pp. 86-101.
This article reports on a study, in which a group of electrical engineering students was assigned to either an online writing class or a face-to-face writing class. The results suggest that students in the online group did not improve in their writing, and additional focus group interviews shed some light on the obstacles the students faced due to course design and their study habits.
Practical Resources
- Bower , Matt, and Jodie Torrington. Typology of Free Web-Based Learning Technologies, Educause, 29 Apr. 2020, https://library.educause.edu/resources/2020/4/typology-of-free-web-based-learning-technologies.
This 2020 typology of technologies provides a variety of free technologies divided into pedagogical categories. As part of their selection criteria, the authors have chosen tools which are “freely available”, “openly accessible” and are “educationally applicable”. - Deane, Mary, and Teresa Guasch, editors. Learning and Teaching Writing Online: Strategies for Success. Leiden, The Netherlands, Brill, 2015.
This book, which is available online through the BU Libraries, discusses best practices for teaching writing in online courses. The volume focuses primary on feedback, collaboration, and course design in online settings. - EdTech Books is an open textbook publishing platform, which offers a variety of e-books including, but not limited to topics such as teaching writing in online and hybrid modalities. You have a limit of downloading 10 e-books, but you may email the publisher to request more access.
- Hewett, Beth. Online Writing Conference: A Guide for Teachers and Tutors. Boston, MA, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
This volume explores student-teacher conferences in an online environment and also offers pedagogical tools and strategies for both synchronous and asynchronous remote conferencing. - Hewett, Beth. Reading to Learn and Writing to Teach Literacy Strategies for Online Writing Instruction. Boston, MA, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
The book focuses on scaffolding online courses through clear and effective communication from the teacher, which is even more important in remote educational settings. Additionally, the author offers strategies for improving students’ reading skills, which can further serve as a scaffold in online courses. - Hewett, Beth L. et al. Foundational Practices of Online Writing Instruction Fort Collins, CO, WAC Clearinghouse, 2015.
This open textbook, available for free through the Open Textbook Library, includes 18 chapters that overview the best practices for teaching writing online. There is also a special focus in the chapters on inclusive and accessible teaching in online writing courses. One particularly useful chapter is that by Susan K. Miller-Cochran, “Multilingual Writers and OWI,” which focuses on multilingual writers and may be of special interest to instructors of WR 111 and WR 112. - Ruefman, Daniel, and Abigail G. Scheg. Applied Pedagogies Strategies for Online Writing Instruction. Boulder, CO, Utah State University Press, 2016.
The authors offer principles and strategies for teaching writing in remote settings. Among the specific topics discussed in the book are online course planning, student engagement, and challenges to teaching writing online. - Warnock, Scott, and Diana Gasiewski. Writing Together: Ten Weeks Teaching and Studenting in an Online Writing Course. Urbana, Ill., National Council of Teachers of English, 2018.
This book, which is available online through the BU Libraries, presents the experiences of a teacher and a student in a remote, asynchronous writing course. In narrating their experiences from the two perspectives, the authors explore different approaches and practical strategies for teaching writing online. - Warnock, Scott. Teaching Writing Online: How & Why. Urbana, Ill., National Council of Teachers of English, 2009.
This book includes 18 chapters on teaching writing online. The chapters discuss a variety of topics, from choosing between online and hybrid course formats to developing a syllabus for an online course, to managing peer review online.