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Open Access Education in Professional Writing: The LOOC Model at Widener University[Action Lab]

Robert J. Bonk, Ph.D. Professor of Professional WritingWidener University, Chester PA USA

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Premises and Preliminaries

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–Mission Statement, Widener University

“[W]e achieve our mission by creating a learning environment where curricula

are connected to societal issues through civic engagement.”

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MOOC vs. LOOC

• Massive

• Open

• Online

• Course

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• Local

• Open

• Online

• Content

Customized for needs of targeted community

Freely available through intermediary agency for contextual adaptations

Designed in modular vs. curricular components

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Academic Discipline of Professional Writing

• Professional Writing challenges students to apply techniques of communication in real-world activities

• Courses range from basics to advanced

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Fundamentals of PRWREffective Comm in the Digital Age Technical Writing Copywriting for Advertising/MarketingEditing for Publications Rhetoric for WritersWriting in the SciencesWriting for HealthcareWriting for the Nonprofit SectorPortfolio Development in PRWR

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Step 1: Investigate the Community

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Widener University is located in Chester but separated by a highway from….7RJ Bonk

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Downtown Chester Avenue of the States8

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Chester—once a vibrant town with the largest single shipyard in the WORLD during World War II….Photos obtained from websites of Widener University and the Chester Historical Society

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Chester Named the Most Dangerous City in PennsylvaniaBy Esther Katro

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The city of Chester is the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania, according to a home security company.On Wednesday the Home Security Shield released their report of the ten most dangerous cities in Pennsylvania. The ranking is based on data publicly released each year by the FBI. The list only includes cities with a population over 5,000.

• School Security Options Include Armed Teachers

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Chester--278136131.html#ixzz424kNqjLe Published at 9:16 PM EDT on Oct 4, 2014

Chester Today

• Crime indexChester 879.7; US 289.0 City-Data.com; 2013 data

• College education Chester 9.5%; US 29.3%

• Civilian employment Chester 53.7%; US 63.5%

• Poverty levelChester 33.1%; US 14.8% US Census Bureau; 2010-2014 data

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http:www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news; published 9:16 PM EDT 04 Oct 2014

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Step 2: Apply the Academic Discipline

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Professional Writing PRWR Suite

218 Hyatt Hall—Adjunct Faculty 220 Hyatt Hall—Dr. Robert Bonk

Professional Writing Experiential Academic Discipline12

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Service-Learning and Professional Writing

• Academic service-learning is a cluster of pedagogies that focus on learning by applying and while benefiting others, often with students partnering as tutors or advisors

• In Professional Writing, the traditional model is modified:

• Student consultants assist intermediary agency clients to produce materials that benefit a target community

• Nomenclature: Experiential Community Engagement“Experiential Education and Community Engagement in Professional Writing." 1st Global Conference on Writing: Paradigms, Power, Poetics, Praxes. Session: Critical Thinking Across Dimensions. Prague. 12-14 Nov. 2011.

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Decade of Service

• Professional Writing (PRWR) program at Widener University deliberately utilizes service as an experiential pedagogy

• Projects span over a decade:

• Advertising materials that promote services to aging

• Chesteropoly legacy game for middle-school students

• Proposals for using social media for community aims“Pedagogical Assessment of Chesteropoly for Academic Service-Learning Benefits as a Multidisciplinary Project.” Journal of Experiential Education 32.2 (2009): 155-77.

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Step 3: Let Inputs Guide the Outputs

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Underlying Premise of Professional Writing

Inputs

Audience

Purpose

Context

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Outputs

Medium

Content

Strategy

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Input Conditions Output Parameters

• Audiencedemo/psychographics predilections & history

• Purposefocus on achievementinfinitive verb as form

• Contextsituational applicationconstraints of situation

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• Mediumprint, online, or otherconstructional outline

• Contentbreadth/depth of infoliteracy considerations

• Strategytechniques to organizestyle, format, and tone

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Availability→Access→Awareness→Achievement?

• Open Education (OE) models offer opportunities to share learning materials with those who can benefit

• PRWR educational modules, for instance, could be made widely available through unrestricted access

• But at-risk students in Chester must be sufficiently aware of these materials for benefits to be achieved

• LOOC—Localized Open Online Content—model tailors educational materials for targeted deliveries

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College Access Center (CAC) Previous PRWR Collaboration19

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CAC in Chester

• Chester Higher Education Council was established as a nonprofit institution for the county’s educational needs

• CAC in Chester, Council’s first initiative, provides free college preparation services to students and adults

• Collaboration of six colleges/universities, including its base at Widener University http://www.collegeaccessdelco.org

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CAC Services & Programs for College Preparation

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Step 4: Make No False Assumptions

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Partnerships First

• Preliminary meeting with Julani Ghana, CAC director

• Writing needs of college-bound students identified

• Available resources to be supplemented through a modular design of web-based seminars/tutorials by genre and by skill

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Road Map To College Program

RMCP is an after-school, mentoring, academic support, and enrichment program for high-school students, grades 9-12. This is a great way to provide students with a full college-preparatory development experience so that, by the time of graduation, they are 100% prepared to gain admission but also to compete and ultimately graduate from college. This program is where other college-going students come to meet friends and be around other students who are serious about their college futures.

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Senior Academy

This program is for SENIORS ONLY who are enrolled in ANY of our pre-college, career, or academic-support programs. Seniors are separated one afternoon each week and provided specialized, individual assistance with the college process. This includes 1-on-1 college/career exploration, college application submissions, essay development, career interest development, financial aid and scholarship exploration, and interview preparation. Other services include military, vocational, and career guidance, as well as job and resume creation. 

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Step 5: Assess the Model’s Outcomes

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Long-Term Development and Assessment

• Informal interactions to be made by dropping in on one of the identified sessions with CAC students

• Building initial trust among students

• Brainstorming potential approaches

• Periodic sessions, including Widener students, to provide OE-based modules in Professional Writing

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Your Turn to Take Action

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Opportunities for LOOC Implementation

Let’s select some target scenarios that lend themselves to the LOOC

—Localized Open Online Content

—Model of Widener University

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Focus on inputs and outputs from the Professional Writing approach:

audience, purpose, context

medium, content, strategy

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