ERIC Number: ED664255
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 191
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3467-3734-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Reciprocal Mentoring for First-Year Writing Instructors
Jessica Harnisch
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University
The purpose of this action research study was to design, implement, and study a reciprocal mentoring program for online instructors in Writers' Studio (WS) at Arizona State University (ASU) and to explore what happened when instructors participate in the program. WS employs over 100 faculty who teach online in courses they do not design themselves. ASU administration provides professional development opportunities and access to a course coordinator for help, but instructors still felt disconnected from their peers, and there was no infrastructure to foster connections. An innovation called WISH -- The Writing Instructor Support Hub was created for this study. WISH combined just-in-time support with professional development modules and a repository of materials for sharing teaching resources. A mixed methods action research design was used to explore what happened when WISH was created, how instructors supported each other, and how and to what extent participants' perspectives shifted after joining the program. This study was informed by social constructivism, reciprocal mentoring, and the Community of Inquiry. Data for this project were collected from interviews, posts in online discussion forums, and a retrospective pre/post-WISH survey. Results showed that participants did create new connections and shared teaching resources with each other in ways they had not done previously. They used WISH to support each other both professionally and personally, and there were significant changes in their perceptions of connection and support. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Reciprocal Teaching, Mentors, Writing Instruction, Web Based Instruction, College Faculty, Online Courses, Faculty Development, Action Research, Teacher Collaboration, Teacher Attitudes, Communities of Practice
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A