On the subject of ongoing discussions in relation to new media and professional writing: undoubtedly there are institutions with vibrant and popular new media and writing curriculum. At Cortland this is not precisely the case. In our defense, PWR is still quite new (2 years) and the new media programs on campus are even younger. Further more, the campus culture, which focuses on education and sports-related professional programs, does not lend itself well to our curriculum. That said, the number of majors in PWR is far above projections. Nevertheless, our class sizes remain small.

The upshot of this is the PWR is a relatively expensive major. With the amount of writing students do, and the workshop model, courses are necessarily small. In addition, the new media component is expensive in terms of hardware and software, and of course, also requires small classes (limited by the size of the computer lab).

None of this makes administrators particularly happy, especially when faced with the increased administrative/support responsibilities these programs (such as our NeoVox magazine) require and the resulting prospect of releasing faculty from teaching courses (and generating revenue).

One potential choice, though it doesn’t make me happy, is that my College might apply uniform standards—canceling low-enrolled courses, insisting faculty offer a certain total number of seats in their classes each year, doling out release time to departments by FTE or some such formula, etc. While there is a certain kind of fairness here, it certainly would kill PWR and most developing majors. It’s also not normal college practice. For example, these days, philosophy and physics departments are usually quite small, but we hold onto those departments and their majors because they help to legitimate a college.

New media and PWR clearly don’t serve that function, but they serve a related one. A college administrator looking 5-7 years down the road should see the following technological developments:
1. Increasing demand from students for IT services (WIFI, server space, performing more bureaucratic functions online, etc.). These students will increasingly expect their courses to make use of IT.
2. Increasing standards for teacher education in the area of new media (particularly important at Cortland). Public school teachers will need to be network and web savvy, able to use various multimedia platforms, and most importantly, they will need to be “upgradeable” and “scalable.” This is, they will need to be able to keep up with ongoing changes.
3. Increasing expectations from employers and, in our case, the State, that students are “computer literate.” This will include ePortfolios (discussed in an earlier post) and other web-based products and literacies.

In terms of writing instruction, that same administrator might see the following:
1. Growing concern over student and graduate writing ability, particularly in relation to teacher education.
2. Shifting from print-based writing to electronic writing.
3. And, in the case of our college, an influx of international students who are interested in developing their business English writing skills.

Our website states we have more than 400 faculty teaching approximately 7,500 students (I’m not sure if that counts graduate students). While this 400 number includes part-time faculty, I’m sure we have more than 250 tenured or tenure-track faculty. Of this number, three or four have any serious experience with new media. There may be another dozen or so who know enough to make a halfway decent website. Similarly, there are four faculty who are trained to teach writing (i.e. they have rhet/comp PhDs and conduct research in writing). One is the Director of the Composition program; the other three comprise the PWR faculty.

Now, of course, one does not have to be an expert in new media to use new media in a classroom. Likewise, one does not have to be a rhetorician to assign an essay and grade it. Furthermore, we have staff who are available to help faculty create websites or use other new media; we also obviously have a writing center to provide support for WAC courses.

HOWEVER, as the College tumbles into the information age, it will require scholarly expertise to advise it in the formulation of a strategy for the integration of new media literacy, which includes a new approach to teaching writing. That’s not to say that expert faculty will have all the answers. Obviously not. And clearly there are many other factors that need to be integrated in the articulation of a strategic plan (budgets, enrollments, etc.). But faculty with expertise in writing and/or new media will prove a valuable resource in creating a plan that works, that addresses intellectual concerns, and engages pedagogical issues. Expert faculty will also prove important in blazing trails for other faculty, testing out new ideas and applications, piloting curriculum, etc.

As such, new media and PWR curriculum, despite its expense, represents a solid investment in the College’s future, particularly if the lessons learned from it are employed strategically by the institution. In more economic terms, if properly marketed, advances in new media can also serve to embellish the College’s reputation. I think most parents want to feel their kids are getting a cutting-edge education, for whatever that’s worth.

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