Category: communication

  • Teaching Ethics and Writing Integrity in the Age of AI

    By Paige MJ Erickson Students and faculty writing in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) have the unique opportunity to demonstrate their character, integrity, and uniqueness through their compositions. This post offers suggestions to approach academic writing as a means to demonstrate ethics in action. While personality, humor, and style are recommended against by AI-generated…

  • Practical Strategies for the Inclusion of All Students

    By Beth Lee This is the final post in a three-part series highlighting accessibility and writing across the curriculum. In writing-intensive and writing-across-the-curriculum contexts, fostering a sense of belonging requires instructional design that anticipates learner variability rather than relying on reactive accommodations. This post examines Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a pedagogical framework that…

  • Dyslexia-Friendly Writing Strategies

    By Jessica Love This is the second in a three-part series highlighting accessibility and writing across the curriculum. Professors can adapt their writing to meet the needs of students with dyslexia. By making the style and formatting choices discussed in this blog, writers can make reading easier for readers with dyslexia.  Many post-secondary students are…

  • Access for All

    Designing Accessible Online Curriculum By Dr. Carolyn Stevenson The first in a three-part series highlighting accessibility and writing across the curriculum, this blog post explores how intentional course design can remove barriers and support diverse learners in online higher education. It highlights practical strategies grounded in accessibility to ensure content is usable by learners of…

  • Writing Helps Students Build Bridges Between Perspectives

    Writing Helps Students Build Bridges Between Perspectives

    By Sara Wink Higher education provides students with a unique opportunity to explore perspectives beyond the students’ situated knowledge. Educators across multiple fields can create those opportunities through critical reading and writing activities in the classroom. In Wisconsin, one may find the roots of one of the most prestigious college presses to ever be founded:…

  • Descriptive Feedforward:

    Descriptive Feedforward:

    A Four-Step User’s Guide By Jan Watson Feedforward, a process of evaluation that originated in the management world, was developed to improve employee output and identify future goals. In recent years, the shift from feedback to feedforward has presented a new model for how educators respond to student writing. This blog post examines four simple…

  • Here’s a Bold Idea:

    Here’s a Bold Idea:

    Don’t Be Difficult to Help By Eric Holmes We all need help now and then, and knowing how to ask for it is vital. This post will detail a key strategy for making a request and offer insights into the power of incentives. The key is making it easy for the recipient to say, “Yes.”  When asking…

  • Emailing Students to Increase Retention

    Emailing Students to Increase Retention

    By Shelly Gussis The blog post examines the effects of emailing students on retention. Several studies using different methods are reviewed. Results of the different studies indicate that the nature of the email, as well as frequency and timing, influence retention. Attrition rates of online universities are significantly higher than those of face-to-face universities, as…

  • “Previously, on Talk Seminar”:

    “Previously, on Talk Seminar”:

    Building Presence in Unscripted Spaces By William Ashley Johnson This post explores how one instructor’s intentionally branded “after show” provides a low-stakes, high-engagement space for online learners to reflect, ask questions, and connect beyond the constraints of a live seminar. Blending autonomy-supportive design with research-backed student engagement strategies, Talk Seminar isn’t just office hours by…

  • Building Community and Improving Pass Rates:

    Building Community and Improving Pass Rates:

    Implementing the Liquid Syllabus in Competency-Based Composition Courses By Gabriel Smith In competency-based, asynchronous writing courses, building community can feel like an uphill battle—especially when students face anxiety around the writing process. This post explores how implementing a liquid syllabus offered a simple, personal touchpoint that helped students feel more connected and confident. Early results…