Matching Items (19)
Description
The discipline of rhetoric and composition established the Writing Program Administrators Outcomes Statement (WPA OS) to fulfill a general expectation about the skills and knowledge students should be able to demonstrate by the end of first-year composition. Regardless of pedagogy used, academic preparation of the teacher, or preference of particular topics or types of assignments, the WPA OS is versatile. This dissertation employs a problem-solution argument showcasing methods to improve assignments through intentional use of the WPA OS for a fluid conversation throughout first-year composition and a more clear articulation of course goals. This dissertation includes summation, analysis, and synthesis of documents that inform first-year composition curriculum from foundational organizations within the field, including National Council of Teachers of English, Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Writing Project, and Conference on College Composition and Communication. This study uses the WPA OS as a lens to examine and revise writing assignments that aid in students' comprehension of the WPA OS with particular focus on the areas of rhetorical knowledge and critical thinking, reading, and writing. Framing assignment design with theoretically grounded content and the use of common topics throughout first-year composition is one way to operationalize the WPA OS. Using common topics throughout course content presents opportunities for teachers to include detailed scaffolding in assignments that expand students' literate practices and engage students as critical thinkers and writers. This study explores how using the topic of family, a common topic to all students, provides a rich bank of social, historical, and cultural elements for research and writing. The topic of family seamlessly employs multimodal composition, which presents students with opportunities for developing rhetorical knowledge and expanding students' literacies. This dissertation displays evidence of praxis of the WPA OS from assignment development to presentation of student samples. This study recommends the use of common topics and intentional application of the WPA OS to construct assignments that clearly articulate learning goals in first-year composition.
ContributorsRankins-Robertson, Sherry, 1976- (Author) / Roen, Duane H. (Thesis advisor) / Miller, Keith (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Abstract This thesis examines the efficacy of an Advertising Exchange Program between literary magazines with a specific focus on Superstition Review magazine. Incorporated within this thesis are three parts: Advertising In and Between Literary Magazines, Methodology and Results Regarding Efficacy of Exchange and a section dedicated to the Carry-Over of the Advertising Exchange Position within the confines of Superstition Review. This thesis highlights the history of advertising within literary magazines using some historical examples as reference. The second section examines the research involved to prove the efficacy of a "one for one" exchange between literary magazines and journals, whether in print or online. The final section is specific to Superstition Review, and is a study in the most efficient method of carrying over the job of Advertising Exchange Coordinator within a university publication. The conclusion touched upon the need to continue these types of programs, with an emphasis on the constant updating of tools, especially electronic means, which will keep the magazine on the technological forefront and in line with its peers. Keywords: literary magazine, advertising, advertising exchange, publication, literature, literary technology, media kit
ContributorsLougee, Jade Elizabeth (Author) / Murphy, Patricia (Thesis director) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The global reliance on fossil fuels is driving climate change and urban air pollution, both of which constitute grave threats to public health. Poor air quality has dramatically increased the incidence of respiratory illness in large cities. Climate change has brought about increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events which directly affect public safety and lead to destruction of farmland and fresh water sources. A globally scaled transition from fossil fuel combustion to low-carbon “clean” technology for power generation is necessary for both climate change mitigation and urban air quality improvement—a feat that could be feasibly accomplished through worldwide development of renewable energy (RE) infrastructure, consequently resulting in improved pub-lic health. From the perspective of advancing technical communication research, this study performs a qualitative content and frame analysis of recent newspaper articles that draw connections between RE and public health, thereby clarifying the primary messages the public receives about these two topics which are related by climate change.
ContributorsSabol, Jenny K (Author) / Lambrecht, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Madson, Michael (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The purpose of the study is to examine how a multimodal composition assignment can be configured to create opportunities for writing development among second language students. In the field of second language writing, where linguistic development has long been prioritized in research and pedagogy, there are concerns that engaging with modes other than language would take away the opportunity to development writing skills. This study intends to address this concern by investigating how second language students interact with language, employ writing strategies, and develop knowledge about writing during a multimodal and a traditional assignment. To this end, I designed two assignments, a traditional written proposal assignment and a video proposal assignment, that were taught by the same instructor in two parallel sections of first-year composition for multilingual students. Five participants were recruited from each section. The data were collected from students’ screen-recordings with think-aloud protocols, writings produced during the two assignments, class observation notes, and semi-structured interviews at the end of the assignments. The findings suggest that students in both groups have engaged in similar ways of translating their ideas into written English with appropriate grammatical, syntactical, and lexical choices. The participants also employed various writing strategies at different stages of the assignments. Students in both groups reported a growing understanding of rhetorical appeals and research-based writing. The video assignment, however, seems to create additional learning opportunities by mobilizing students’ problem-solving skills and a wider range of literacy experiences. At the same time, two students in the video group were observed borrowing online texts verbatim without making attribution, which could be a potentially risky act in the academic context. Based on the findings, I argue that multimodal writing pedagogy should be discussed in relation to the specific design features and learning outcomes. Future research could continue the investigation of students’ multimodal composing processes, with a special focus on the textual borrowing practices across contexts. There is also need for a systematic review that discusses how the concept of multimodal writing is embodied in different assignments, tasks, and genres.
ContributorsTan, Xiao (Author) / Matsuda, Paul Kei (Thesis advisor) / Rose, Shirley (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This thesis analyzes how Arizona State University’s disability resource center, Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services (SAILS), impacts access fatigue among students with disabilities. Access fatigue is rhetorical fatigue borne from the continuous need for people with disabilities to perform accommodation negotiations, or requests for practices that will grant them access to certain spaces. This study theorizes access fatigue as an intersection between scholarship about embodied rhetorical fatigue and interactional rhetorical phenomena that occur during accommodation negotiations. This research is guided by user experience (UX) methodologies, including a textual heuristic analysis of two SAILS documents; stakeholder interviews with students, teachers, and a SAILS representative; and a comparative analysis situating SAILS in relation to other disability resource centers. This thesis frames accommodation negotiations and access fatigue through the lens of institutional relationality and identifies four key dimensions of institutional relationality that affected participants’ experiences with access fatigue, including: burden sharing between students and SAILS, misfitting between students and SAILS, institutional culture shaping facilitated by relationships between non-registered stakeholders and SAILS, and institutional access fatigue resulting from design inconsistencies between SAILS and other disability resource centers. To relate this theorization to design practices, this thesis includes UX-informed guidelines for designing disability resource centers that promote fatigue relief through the integration of theories of institutional relationality.
ContributorsCaputo, Courtney (Author) / Hannah, Mark (Thesis advisor) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Long, Elenore (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Encouraging women’s pursuit and retention in higher education has been an important movement in the United States over the last several decades. While there has been considerable progress, women are still underrepresented in fields related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The most significant gender gap being engineering, where women make up only 21% of all engineering majors. Lack of self-efficacy is one variable that has been implicated as a barrier for women in engineering, due to implicit and explicit biases and discrimination women experience relating to engineering in higher education. Self-compassion has been shown to be strongly correlated with self-efficacy, with explanations theorized at the level of each positive subcomponent: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The current study investigates the effects of a self-compassion mindstate induction (SCMI) intervention on engineering self-efficacy compared to a control group. This study also explores gender and race discrimination from faculty and peers in the participants' environment to observe if this plays a role in the effect of the intervention. Women (N = 73) majoring in engineering were recruited from a large southwestern university to participate. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted, revealing a significant three-way interaction for condition type (SCMI or control), discrimination scores, and engineering self-efficacy from Time 1 to Time 2 (F(1, 69) = 6.51, p = .01). The results of this study suggest that participants in the SCMI condition experienced a significant increase in engineering self-efficacy from Time 1 to Time 2 when controlling for discrimination in the women's environment. Self-compassion based interventions that have the potential to increase engineering self-efficacy may be particularly helpful to women who experience more gender and race discrimination in their environment. Future work should be done to examine discrimination more directly in the context of self-compassion and engineering self-efficacy. These results show promise for using brief, accessible, cost-free, positive psychology interventions to support women pursuing engineering in higher education. This research contributes to the literature aiming to address gender disparities in engineering higher education, laying the groundwork for future interventions that support underrepresented populations in STEM.
ContributorsKampf, Taylor (Author) / Lum, Heather (Thesis advisor) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Chiou, Erin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
This project presents a mixed methods analysis of proposal editing in sponsored research administration at U.S.-based universities. As sponsored research funding has become increasingly competitive, universities have sought to support their faculty and research infrastructure by offering proposal editing services as a component of the proposal development process. However, the relative newness of proposal and research development as fields, combined with prior studies that show a general lack of research into proposal editing and faculty perceptions of proposal development resources, mean that these areas can benefit from additional focused research. This study aimed to answer two primary research questions: How do universities approach and offer proposal editing as a component of the proposal development process, and what are faculty reactions to editing services as a resource during that same process? The study consisted of two components: a survey of 32 faculty members' perceptions of editing services as an element of their proposal development, and interviews with ten research administrators and editors to discuss how editing services function within the proposal preparation process. Despite a small sample size and disciplinary homogeneity, the survey results showed that demand for institutionally provided editing services varies by research field and activity level, but that faculty showed noticeable interest in at least having the option of an editor reviewing their proposals prior to submission. Interview participants agreed that faculty who are new or early in their careers, along with faculty who speak English as a second language, are especially interested in receiving editing services. Editors themselves provide various levels of edit, dependent on their own backgrounds, editing timelines, and faculty receptiveness to the edits. When provided, edits focus on compliance and grammar, but deeper edits help academic styles of writing transition into more persuasive grant writing styles to strategically position the proposal. As proposal editing services become more widespread as a way of supporting faculty and increasingly proposal quality and success, universities should implement editing services according to faculty demand and needs. Careful implementation can ensure that editing services fully support faculty while making a meaningful impact on a university's research development strategies and goals.
ContributorsTrompeter, Colleen (Author) / Brumberger, Eva (Thesis advisor) / D'Angelo, Barbara (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
As an outlet of communication between internet users, digital social media has created opinionated engagement between people that have similar and often contrasting views, just like those in face-to-face communication (Mckenna & Bargh, 2014). The problem is that these digital conversations occur in a synthetic environment, causing users to develop alternative psychological patterns of engagement (Lauren & Hsieh, 2014), that could potentially push them to inadvertently or unknowingly create and participate in negative social interaction with others. The purpose of this study was to determine and assess the needs of a writing heuristic for social media participants to use in engagement with others to increase coherency, civility, and engagement response in content. Research explored existing literature on engagement behavior in digital social media and computer-mediated communication (CMC) and was then used in qualitative sentiment analysis of business-to-consumer social media environments, aiming to recognize the needs in developing a social media writing heuristic. This research found that such heuristic should prompt and advise users to remove ambiguity within engagement practices, encouraging the implementation of salient social markers and nonverbal cues in text. Social media users should also be prompted to create familiarity with others through the posing of messages in an emotional frame that is aligned with their audience’s emotional attitudes, increasing persuasive argumentation and discussion. As well, users should be prompted to thoroughly understand the issues in discussion and follow dynamics to create productive engagement, while avoiding engagement with negative commentary.
ContributorsParkerson, Logan (Author) / Maid, Barry (Thesis advisor) / D'Angelo, Barbara (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the State Bar of New Mexico's (SBNM) new podcast series, SBNM is Hear. The podcast was initially developed as a member outreach tool and a new platform for professional development and survey questions were developed to gauge the podcast’s effectiveness in these two areas. An electronic survey was deployed to active members of the SBNM through email. Respondents were asked questions regarding their demographics, whether they had listened to the series, and what content they would like to hear in the future. The survey resulted in 103 responses, of which 60% indicated that they had not listened to the podcast. The results showed that listenership was evenly divided between generations and that more females listened to at least one episode. The open-ended responses indicated that the two cohorts of respondents (listeners and non- listeners) viewed the podcast a potential connection to the New Mexico judiciary. Future recommendations include conducting an annual survey to continue to understand the effectiveness of the podcast and solicit feedback for continued growth and improvement
ContributorsPettit, Morgan (Author) / Lauer, Claire (Degree committee member) / Mara, Andrew (Degree committee member) / Carradini, Stephen (Degree committee member)
Created2020-12-10
Description
As the impact of technology on daily life continues to grow, online learning platforms for primary, secondary, post-secondary, and professional institutions find ways to:
1. Connect peers and instructors through digital communication.
2. Engage users more fully in learning.
3. Provide access to resources that enhance deep-impact education.
Online learning platforms, or learning management systems (LMS), are used to connect instructors and students through synchronous and asynchronous engagement tools, provide space for the transfer of resources and ideas, and track progress. However, these platforms were designed with more mainstream purposes - and more digitally savvy - users in mind.
Adult learning programs (with members ages 50+) currently have no online learning and sharing platform specifically designed to fit the needs and desires of their users. Despite the multitude of barriers to successful use, adult learning programs recognize the need to engage with members digitally and are seeking an online learning platform centered around their users.
This project, utilizing best practices in technical communication and mixed methods user experience research, broadens the boundaries of communication design by creating an online learning platform prototype specifically for adults ages 50+ through the lens of information design, content management, and user experience outcomes.
ContributorsBaker, Abby (Author) / Knopf, Richard (Degree committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Degree committee member) / Mara, Andrew (Degree committee member)
Created2019-11-11