Current Study
Teaching without Bodies: Negotiation of Absences & Presences of Bodies in Online Composition Pedagogy. This project aims towards completing a book project for online composition instructors based on qualitative analysis of responses of students and teachers on computer-mediated collaborative writing. Drawing upon the expertise of the pedagogic practices of composition instructors in the English and New Media program at DSU and several other higher education institutions in USA, the focus of the project will be the development of a resource of best practices for online courses offered through course management systems and web 2.0 tools. In this project, I will make a case that the practice of teaching in an online composition class eliminates visibility and immediacy of the teacher and interpersonal interactivity in a classroom community. This may be problematic for effective online learning. The project will seek to understand this transformation of pedagogy of traditional composition pedagogy and in doing so, provides insights into best practices in online composition pedagogy and virtual teaching in general.
Technological Mediation in Odissi Dance: A Transnational Perspective of Digitized Practice and Pedagogy in a Traditional Artistic Community The practice of teaching in an online composition class eliminates the visibility and immediacy the teacher and interpersonal interactivity in a classroom community. Digital mediation can be problematic for functional collaboration in a class . The problem that online instructors might face is one that some traditional Odissi dance teachers also experience. In order to explore the conflict between tradition and mediations with technology, this study focuses on Odissi, an Indian classical dance and examines how digital technologies of teaching, like CDs, DVD, online videos, and synchronous videos are transforming the practice and teaching of this traditional dance. Surveys, interviews, and qualitative research of the field of Odissi dance revealed that technologizing the dance might be unavoidable; but to some practitioners it may be disrupting Odissi’s traditional values. This article reasserts the position of the teacher in an online pedagogic space and argues that the presence or simulated presence of bodies might be vital in learning and composing collaboratively.
Composing for a Real Client: Applying Persona Design and Usability Testing in Web-based Professional Writing Pedagogy. I explore my course development strategies located at the intersections of research of professional communication and usability studies. Website usability refers to the ease with which websites succeeds in providing information to the users, thus helping them make decisions regarding buying products or services from them. From a business point of view, websites need to be usable and accessible to its audience. While websites need to be informative and aesthetically pleasing, they should ideally conform to user-centered design principles. The method of developing audience personas and conducting usability evaluation can be applied to composition pedagogy in helping students understand audience.