hi everbody, we'll be back in Ellison Hall on Thursday, 3:30 as usual,
to talk about writing assignments in general - along with any other
topics folks are interested in at the end of the semester! 
 
here are some of the things we might consider:
 
-- what are the biggest problems that our students face as writers? does
the online course environment make a difference (for better? for worse?)
in their writing efforts?
 
-- what are the types of formal writing assignments that people have
found to be most useful in online courses? what kinds of informal
writing assignments? 
 
-- what are the best strategies for giving students instructions for the
writing assignments? how can you avoid potential misunderstandings in
advance so that students actually complete the assignment as expected?
 
-- what are some methods and tools for promoting the writing and
revision process in the context of an online course? what is the best
way to pace writing assignments throughout the semester?
 
-- what are the different options for sharing writing across groups and
the whole class, and what are some ways to manage a peer review process?
(earlier, Marielle gave us a presentation on the CPR method which is for
anonymous peer review - what are some other peer review strategies that
are available, and what is the technology needed to support them?)
 
-- what kind of writing support is available for OU students in general?
what kind of online writing support is available? what kind of support
is desirable? is it possible for us to build some online resources
together?
 
I'm sure this will lead us into all kinds of other related topics - and
if you have some specific questions you would like to see addressed,
please send them to me, or send them around to the whole list for input.
I'll try to come up with a handout by tomorrow with links to some online
materials and resources, and I'll get that out to this list since I know
that a lot of folks cannot attend our actual Thursday mtgs., esp. at
this busy time of the semester. 
 
thanks everybody!
 
Laura