“‘Hit-it and Quit-It’ Or A Tactical Orientation to Digital Public Writing?”

Type of Presentation

Poster Session (45 minutes)

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Lobby

Abstract

In this presentation, I will argue that in contrast to the negatively-perceived “hit-it and quit-it” approach noted by Cushman (2002), service-learning projects with strong professor/researcher participation afford the flexibility required to meet the specific and time-contingent needs of community partners and that these writing projects benefit from the support of institutionalized experiential-learning programs. Indeed, an effective model of public writing can emerge from the symbiotic relationship between a professor/researcher freed to focus on short-lived tactical connections and an institutionalized experiential-learning program’s assistance in managing relationships with community partners.

That is, I alternatively consider the value of Mathieu’s (2005) proposal in the The Public Turn in Composition for a more “tactical orientation” and discuss how institutionalized, strategic sustainability and course-based, tactical projects can effectively work together to address community partners’ needs and make room for the creation of bottom-up, short-lived projects. I will provide examples of experiential-learning and public writing that are localized and tactical—for example, students writing a manual as an end-product of tutoring residents at an elder-care facility to use Facebook, designing home page mockups for a cultural center with limited resources and an identity problem, and writing BuzzFeed listicles, producing videos, and designing print materials for a new university teaching and learning garden. By sharing what I have learned from these experiences as a writing instructor, my aim is to theorize and deepen our understanding of what a tactical orientation to public writing might be.

Presentation Description

In this presentation, I will argue that in contrast to the negatively-perceived “hit-it and quit-it” approach to community service-learning projects as noted by Cushman (2002), Mathieu’s (2005) proposal for a more “tactical orientation” in the The Public Turn in Composition creates a space for community-based digital writing projects in professional writing courses. I will discuss how institutionalized, strategic sustainability and course-based, tactical projects can effectively work together to address community partners’ needs and make room for the creation of bottom-up, short-lived projects.

Keywords

multimodal, public writing, service-learning, experiential-learning, digital writing, community

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Sep 28th, 1:00 PM Sep 28th, 2:00 PM

“‘Hit-it and Quit-It’ Or A Tactical Orientation to Digital Public Writing?”

Lobby

In this presentation, I will argue that in contrast to the negatively-perceived “hit-it and quit-it” approach noted by Cushman (2002), service-learning projects with strong professor/researcher participation afford the flexibility required to meet the specific and time-contingent needs of community partners and that these writing projects benefit from the support of institutionalized experiential-learning programs. Indeed, an effective model of public writing can emerge from the symbiotic relationship between a professor/researcher freed to focus on short-lived tactical connections and an institutionalized experiential-learning program’s assistance in managing relationships with community partners.

That is, I alternatively consider the value of Mathieu’s (2005) proposal in the The Public Turn in Composition for a more “tactical orientation” and discuss how institutionalized, strategic sustainability and course-based, tactical projects can effectively work together to address community partners’ needs and make room for the creation of bottom-up, short-lived projects. I will provide examples of experiential-learning and public writing that are localized and tactical—for example, students writing a manual as an end-product of tutoring residents at an elder-care facility to use Facebook, designing home page mockups for a cultural center with limited resources and an identity problem, and writing BuzzFeed listicles, producing videos, and designing print materials for a new university teaching and learning garden. By sharing what I have learned from these experiences as a writing instructor, my aim is to theorize and deepen our understanding of what a tactical orientation to public writing might be.