Assistant Professors Andrew Bourelle, Tiffany Bourelle, and Bethany Davila, along with UNM graduate alumna, Anna Knutson recently published a book together entitled, “Linguistic Diversity in Online Writing Classes” in The Council of Writing Program Administrators Journal. The Writing Program Administration (WPA) publishes empirical and theoretical research on issues in writing program administration promoting a wide range of research in various formats that advance the discipline academically, institutionally, and nationally.
The abstract for “Linguistic Diversity in Online Writing Classes” (WPA journal volume 41, no. 1, Fall 2017, pp.60-81):
For more than 40 years, the field of rhetoric and composition has addressed the topic of linguistic diversity in a variety of ways, including the resolution on Students’ Right to Their Own Language, the Statement on Teaching Second Language Writing and Writers, and “A Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Practices for Online Writing Instruction.” However, there continues to be a need for research-based scholarship on how to enact these position statements and best practices, particularly in online writing instruction. In this article, we describe an online writing curriculum designed specifically to promote and value linguistic diversity. Further, we share our assessment of the curriculum and the changes we have made to our program as a result of the assessment. Finally, we consider the implications of this research for other writing program administrators interested in addressing linguistic diversity in their online classes.
