First Paragraph
Online learning and instruction are far from new practices in the year 2021, but they have grown in significance and importance under the circumstances that the world has come to face. Many instructors and learners across the world have been forced to educate in the online realm due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to create uncertainties about the upcoming academic year. Jessie Borgman and Casey McArdle could not have published their book Personal, Accessible, Responsive, Strategic: Resources and Strategies for Online Writing Instructors at a more convenient time, as online instruction appears to remain a dominant mode of delivery for most educators. The book is written in a very personable style with references to golf, making it not only accessible but also feel as if the readers are having a conversation with their colleagues. The purpose of this book is to “provide a practical guidebook that includes a distinct approach to OWI [online writing instruction] for new and/or existing online writing instructors” (14). Borgman and McArdle also aim to provide resources and a space for an OWI community through the book, their website, and social media pages. The empirical PARS (personal, accessible, responsive, strategic) approach is intended to provide instructors with a distinct pedagogy based upon the user experience, that aims to make online writing instruction manageable for the instructor and student alike. Furthermore, when all four enactable elements are implemented simultaneously in the design, instruction, and administration of an online writing program, the process of online writing instruction and learning effectively becomes a cohesive experience for students, instructors, and writing department administrators.
Citation Information
Type of Publication: Review
Author: Kailyn Washakie
Year of Publication: 2021
Journal: Comp Studies 49(1)
Page Range: 200-203