The editors of Web Writing: Why and How for Liberal Arts Teaching and Learning invite readers to comment on a new digital book in-progress during its open peer review phase, now through October 30th, 2013. General audiences will join four designated expert reviewers in publicly posting online commentary to shape the direction of the final manuscript, thereby making the traditionally hidden process of peer review more visible and transparent. Based on essays from twenty-five contributors, this scholarly volume explores why digital writing matters for undergraduate learning and illustrates how students and faculty engage in this work with online examples and tutorials. Overall, the book responds to current debates over massive online courses by arguing for the thoughtful integration of web-based authoring, annotation, editing, and publishing tools into what the liberal arts do best: teaching writing and clearer thinking across the curriculum.
“Thanks to the proliferation of digital tools, almost every semester you can find a new way of implementing a writing assignment. But should you?” asks editorial team member Christopher Hager, an associate professor of English and co-director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Trinity College, the book’s primary sponsor. “In Web Writing, college teachers have a place to go that not only describes web-based possibilities for student writing, but also explores the pedagogical implications of using them.” Faculty from a wide range of liberal arts disciplines — including the arts and humanities, social sciences, and lab sciences — have contributed essays and welcome developmental feedback to assist in the writing process.
The full manuscript is available online (http://WebWriting.trincoll.edu), and is under contract with us here at Michigan Publishing. When it is published, the book will be available in two formats: print-on-demand (for sale) and open-access online (for free). Readers may follow the book’s progress by viewing the website’s Comment Activity page, its blog announcements feed, or following the Twitter hashtag #WebWritingBook.
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Founded in Hartford, CT, in 1823, Trinity College (www.trincoll.edu) is an independent nonsectarian liberal arts college with more than 2,200 students from 43 states and 41 countries. The faculty and alumni include recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, the MacArthur Award, Guggenheims, Rockefellers and other national academic awards.