An investigation of the content practices of online writing instructors and administrators

Date

2020-08

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Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate content practices of online writing instructors and administrators. Using Halvorson and Rach’s (2018) Content Strategy Quad, the dissertation investigates ways in which online writing instructors and administrators manage the content of their online courses. The study uses a convergent mixed methods approach of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Specifically, using a survey and interviews, the study asks: • What are the content strategy practices of online writing instructors (OWIs) and online writing program administrators (OWPAs)? • To what extent are OWIs and OWPAs practicing full content strategy as outlined by the Content Strategy Quad (Halvorson & Rach, 2018)? Results indicate that most online writing instructors and administrators are practicing some level of content strategy but their practice is not systematic. However, participants in this study seemed to lack deliberate intention in how they manage the content of their online courses. The results of this dissertation study confirm that the use of content strategy would be beneficial and that the application of the Content Strategy Quad offers potential for the creation of a content strategy heuristic for online courses; a heuristic that provides systematization of content for online writing instructors and administrators.

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Keywords

Online writing instruction, Instructional design, Content strategy

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