“Students in the Driver’s Seat of Course Design: Branching Scenarios in Online Writing Instruction” presented by Tiffany Bourelle, Mitch Marty, & Joe Bartolotta
The third session in the 2023-2024 GSOLE Webinar Series
Overview
In this webinar, we will introduce participants to an active-learning strategy called “Branching Scenarios,” which challenge students by offering them various learning paths for composing a project. For instance, students are provided a writing assignment, then given two rhetorical situations from which they can choose. They are then prompted to choose the branch or path that best fits their learning styles and choice of audience, purpose, and medium for their chosen rhetorical situation. We posit that Branching Scenarios may be used in online writing classes to engage students more actively in courses, providing pathways for students to critically think about and apply new knowledge to specific situations. These scenarios are often created by incorporating multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression into a course to provide students with a pedagogy of choice, where learners are given the opportunity to make informed choices regarding their learning (O’Brien & Reale, 2021). In addition, students receive structured feedback throughout the composing process that helps them to think about the implications of the choices they are making (Sennett & Vasquez, 2021).
Participants will leave the Webinar understanding the following:
- The philosophy behind Branching Scenarios as they relate to Online Writing Instruction.
- How Branching Scenarios align with PARS (Personal, Accessible, Responsive, and Strategic) course design.
- How Branching Scenarios can be developed with Backwards Course Design to address the Student Learning Outcomes of an online-based writing course through a module designed by the attendees.
- How to deploy a Branching Scenarios activity in their own course by using basic tools in an LMS and through Storyline, a common software program used to develop Branching Scenarios.
The Presenters
Tiffany Bourelle teaches multimodal composition and professional writing at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Her work focuses on enhancing pedagogy through multimodal composition in face-to-face and online formats. She created and oversees an online writing program called eComp at UNM, and has been published in such journals as Computers and Composition, The Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, and WPA: Writing Program Administration.
Mitch Marty is a writer and photographer from rural Wisconsin, who teaches as an Adjunct Professor with the Department of English and works as an Instructional Designer with the Center for Teaching & Learning at the University of New Mexico. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico.
Dr. Joseph Bartolotta is an Associate Professor of Writing Studies and Rhetoric at Hofstra University. He holds a PhD in Rhetoric & Scientific and Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota.
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