EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Application for Title III Summer Stipend
Summer 2004
Name
Jimmie L. Coy
School or College
______ Date
Arts and Letters
March 31, 2004
______ Department
Faculty Rank: _____Lecturer____________
English
Years at EWU
4
Select with a checkmark the support for which you are applying. (See a description of possible combinations
of support in the document entitled “Faculty Support for Teaching with Technology” available on the Teaching &
Learning Center web site at http://tlc.ewu.edu/title3facsupport.html).
____ A Title III Summer Stipend to combine with one quarter of Title III Professional Leave
____ A Title III Summer Stipend to combine with one quarter of Reduced Teaching
__X_ Only a Title III Summer Stipend
Name of revised course: ____English 201—Advanced Composition_____________
Your University Obligations for Summer 2004:
I am scheduled to teach one section of English 205, Introduction to Technical Writing, and conduct
placement testing of first-year composition students.
Brief Description of Technological Enhancements Planned for Your Revised Course During Summer 2004
I have chosen to enhance the online section of English 201, Advanced Composition, using Power Point and Adobe
Acrobat to develop several tutorials to address recurring grammatical errors more effectively and to enhance
instruction of exposition and argument in this distance learning section. In addition, I intend to develop a
companion web page in order to offer students access to these tutorials, links to research data bases and other
composition related web sites like Purdue’s OWL (Online Writing Lab), and to better research opportunities for
online students. I also want to explore the new version of Blackboard in order to design and implement real time
discussion groups and chat room opportunities, develop virtual classroom presentations, employ diverse assessment
tools to monitor and improve critical thinking and reading skills, and to explore other measures available through
Blackboard in order to heighten the writing experience, increase community in the online section, and lessen the
sense of learning in isolation experienced by many distance learning students.
Please initial to indicate that your teaching schedule will allow you to abide by the “Support Pattern” as described in
the document “Faculty Support for Teaching with Technology.” (The document is available on the Teaching & Learning
Center web site at http://tlc.ewu.edu/title3facsupport.html.) (Initial)_____________
Please initial to indicate you aware that awarding a Summer Stipend for 2004 is contingent on your being employed
as a faculty member at EWU in 2004-05 and that granting the award does not imply that the University is committed
to employ you during summer 2004 or the academic year 2004-05. (Initial)______________
_______________________________________
Applicant
_______________________________________
Dean
___________________________________
Chair
ATTACH THIS PAGE AS A COVER PAGE TO YOUR APPLICATION
Title III Summer Stipend
Page 1 of 5
Jimmie L. Coy
EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Application for Title III Summer Stipend
Summer 2004
Course Description:
As one of the primary University Competencies and Proficiencies courses, English 201,
Advanced College Composition: Analysis, Research, and Documentation is designed to further
develop the capability to comprehend college-level material, refine the ability to research and
assess relevant sources, promote the capacity to synthesize separate but relevant sources, and to
respond intelligently to such material in academic writing. The online course acts as the distance
learning section of English 201 and is intended to provide a learning opportunity for working
students. Offered every quarter of the regular academic year, I have taught this online section for
the past three years with a typically full enrollment of 25 students per quarter.
Reason for Course Selection:
I have chosen to enhance the technology or this course because the specific nature and challenges
inherent in an online course is ideal for technical enhancement in order to strengthen the
effectiveness of composition instruction, to improve student retention, and heighten the
development of critical thinking and reading skills for online students. The broad course
objectives and the diverse skill levels of the participants in this course require a distinct approach
to instruction that is as diverse as the students who enroll in it. I am constantly looking for
different ways to draw students deeper into the readings and to meet these specific challenges.
Project Description:
By necessity, technology is already a major part of the online course. I propose to provide a more
enhanced technology for the course by fully integrating the existing Blackboard technology,
developing several Power Point presentations that address common writing problems and issues,
and establishing a companion web page that will offer links to these presentations, exercises,
web-related research databases, and etc. in order to help students meet the goals and objectives of
the course and strengthen their writing skills for their academic and professional careers
Although I am currently using Blackboard, it is a newer version that offers more technological
opportunities than the original version used when launching this course. I need to explore how to
better incorporate this technology into the curriculum to enhance student learning. As an
example, I would like to explore how to use the virtual classroom to simulate a truer classroom
experience. This would allow students to interact in real time discussions regarding the thematic
readings and sharing response to one another’s writing. It would also offer chances to address
common writing problems in larger groups and to build community among the online
participants. I would also explore various assessment techniques offered by Blackboard in order
to help students achieve a deeper connection to the articles, essays, and other texts used in our
Writing Across the Curriculum course.
In addition, I would like to develop a companion web page as an additional resource for the
online course. I would develop individual Power Point tutorials that address specific grammatical
and composition issues experienced in the normal classroom. As an example, commas continue
to be a stumbling block for composition students that are especially difficult to address effectively
in the online class. A short presentation covering the use of commas in the main problem areas
that is accessible via the homepage would allow students to go through the presentation within
their own time frame and afford another tool for them. Other presentations would include
apostrophe use, semicolons, argument structure, and many others. In addition, the companion
web page would offer links to research centers and online data bases for researching essays for
the class.
Title III Summer Stipend
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Jimmie L. Coy
EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Application for Title III Summer Stipend
Summer 2004
Once developed, these learning tools will enable students to review individual writing problems,
peruse online research data bases, work in synchronous chat rooms with fellow class members,
and discuss assigned readings with other students in real time, and review fellow students’
writing, offering immediate peer response and gaining critical analytical skills. Students will be
able to review specific tutorials covering grammar and composition problems resulting from
feedback to their writing. They will be able to conduct research on topical subjects by using links
to information and research centers available on the Internet, and students will be able to discuss
responses to assigned readings in real time with the instructor and classmates, further developing
critical reading and thinking skills.
Goals and Objectives for the Project:
Since this course is intended for working, off campus students, time and efficiency of learning is
most important. The application of these tools for common writing concerns will offer students a
richer learning opportunity, helping achieve the following goals and objectives:
1. To improve student writing ability.
 Decrease common grammatical errors, such as sentence combining, possessive
use of apostrophe, and incorrect comma use,
 Improve instruction of citation and documentation of primary and secondary
sources and the compilation of a reference page,
 Enhance student source evaluation proficiency
 Augment instruction of research techniques,
 Increase comprehension of composition theory, such as the construction an
argument, the use of narrative, the development of exposition, and etc.
2. To increase student retention.
 Create real time discussion opportunities in order to build community with online
students,
 Improve peer review of student writing in order to strengthen critical response to
reading and writing, thereby reducing sense of isolation
 Present real time small group instruction opportunities where students participate
in group exchange of knowledge and ideas, further replicating the classroom
experience.
 Assuage the sense of isolation often experienced by the working student by
developing a stronger sense of community
3. To better critical thinking and reading
 Heighten “out of the box” thinking through real time discussion opportunities
where students share perceptions and experiences from the assigned readings.
 Increase cultural awareness through the direct interaction with fellow students
from diverse cultures,
 Develop evaluation techniques and abilities through the exchange of student
writing, experiences, ideas, and through cooperative projects and exercises.
Assessment Plan:
I will assess the effectiveness of the technologically enhanced course by noting a reduction of
recurring errors in the writing of students later in the quarter than is current. Students should
exhibit a deeper analysis of the readings in their academic critique and synthesis of the materials
in their writing through the objective integration of diverse ideas and concepts in their writing.
I currently have approximately two and a half years of student writing from the course as
presented. I will solicit the aid of another instructor of composition to review and assess the
Title III Summer Stipend
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Jimmie L. Coy
EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Application for Title III Summer Stipend
Summer 2004
average quality of final writing projects from randomly selected former students and compare
them with similar student work from the enhanced curriculum.
Finally, student retention ratios should increase as the development of community diminishes
feelings of isolation sometimes experienced by online students.
Quantitative Assessments:
Student Performance:
 Throughout the quarter, the number of recurring grammatical errors should gradually
decrease on successive papers, resulting in a markedly fewer amount of errors on the
final papers. As mentioned, I have a few years of student work from which to compare
error rates.
 The number of students visiting the companion website and reviewing the presentations
could be monitored to see how many students use the tutorials.
 Student work should reveal an increase in the integration and incorporation of diverse
ideas and information in their work. Again, this could be compared to the data from
former sections and reviewed by willing colleagues based upon the shared criteria and
experience teaching advanced composition.
 There should be a noticeable positive change in the retention rate of this section.
Currently, an average of approximately seven students drop this section each quarter. My
target is to have that number more closely match that of a normal on-campus section of
English 201. I usually lose only two or three students a quarter.
Faculty Performance:
 A colleague or a small panel of colleagues would be solicited to provide unbiased
evaluation of the data. Their assessment of the quality of critical thinking, synthesis of
information and ideas, and depth and quality of research exhibited in student work should
show improvement at all levels of the shared criteria.
 Individual Blackboard tools will be designed by the instructor to assess student progress
through quizzing and virtual small group activities in addition to the normal assessment
methods and measures used in the course.
 The course instructor would continue to evaluate student work and participation,
providing encouragement and individual instruction as needed.
Qualitative Assessments:
Student Satisfaction:
 In addition to the normal cycle of student evaluations, a special survey will be designed
and implemented to assess the effectiveness of the technological enhancements to the
course, which can be used to further refine them.
 Students should show a fuller participation in the course activities. Students should
exhibit fewer feelings of anxiety in their communications with the instructor and other
students.
 A stronger sense of community should evident in small group activities and corporate
assignments.
 Students will be asked to prepare a reflection evaluating their experience with the course
wherein a heightened confidence should be reflected as a result of successful integration
of new ideas and concepts in their writing.
Title III Summer Stipend
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Jimmie L. Coy
EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Application for Title III Summer Stipend
Summer 2004
Faculty Satisfaction:
 The instructor will prepare a personal reflection evaluating the impact of the enhanced
technology on the quality of student writing and overall student participation.
 The instructor will evaluate the effectiveness of the enhanced technology in reducing the
sense of isolation, the frustration with technology, and the general anxiety experienced by
online students.
 These findings and materials will be shared with the community of instructors at Eastern
through departmental events and reports to the different committees within the
department, Technical Communications Curriculum Development Committee and the
Composition Committee. In addition, the results, materials, and expertise will be shared
in future presentation at various conferences and in future publications (hopefully).
Equipment Needed:
1. Scheduled access to the department’s laptop computer compatible with
SMARTboard technology or another similar computer for the development of
presentations.
2. An updated revision of Power Point software and/or Adobe Acrobat for the
creation of PDFs and other visual presentations for posting on the new web site
and Blackboard.
3. Access to or the inclusion of software for the development and maintenance of
the new companion web page
Title III Summer Stipend
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Jimmie L. Coy