Cultivating a Shared Vision: Crafting a Communal Policy and Pedagogical Guidelines for Online Writing Instruction

by Jennifer Sheppard

This article reflects on a year-long collaborative effort among a diverse group of tenure-line faculty, long-term lecturers, and contingent instructors to develop a comprehensive policy for online writing instruction within one department. The process, completed just months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, guided both our sudden transition online and our return to a new balance of in-person, hybrid, and online offerings. This article offers insights on crafting an online policy that balances pedagogical and disciplinary concerns with issues of inclusive student access, equitable faculty workload and professional development, and departmental identity.