This online textbook exposes learners to the research process without the prescribed frame of an English or writing classroom. The textbook includes background on argumentation and rhetoric, finding and evaluating sources, and broad application of research practices. It includes activities to apply the concepts to learners’ specific academic contexts. The PDF chapters are hosted on a website, but the files can be downloaded and read offline.
Type of Material:
Open (Access) Textbook
Recommended Uses:
Homework, self-study
Technical Requirements:
Chrome Version 99.0.4844.51 (Official Build) (arm64), 2022 MacBook Air
Identify Major Learning Goals:
to understand the theory of how to construct a good argument;
to find and evaluate sources;
to apply a process approach to writing;
to understand how to apply good research practice in different academic disciplines
Target Student Population:
Upper level English students
Any upper level class on which students are required to do reaearch
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
familiarity with the internet,
rhetorical modes, essay structure;
previous exposure to research writing is a plus.
knowledge of genres of writing
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The text is thoughtful, well-organized and grounded in excellent research on writing, including thorough discussions of many applicable topics (Process Writing, Discourse Communities, Assessing Sources, to name a few).
The writing is warm and accessible, and several useful activities are included. Explanations are complete and very readable, making the text a good option for independent learners.
Discussion of assessing sources, using a library database for research, and writing for the internet all rely on strong principles and could be adapted into a more current context.
The tone of the text was for the most part very approachable and personable. The sections on evaluating and integrating sources and avoiding plagiarism would be particularly helpful even in contexts other than an English classroom. There were several instances of real-world examples that helped demonstrate the book’s concepts.
Concerns:
The material feels outdated in its approach. The writer seems to be writing to an audience of students from ten years ago. There is an assumption that the readers of the text print out their papers (cut and paste activity in Chapter 2), and that they are more familiar with books than with websites.
Discussion of digital tools such as digital annotation tools, and grammar check software are missing.
The recycling of concepts doesn’t extend beyond the first couple of chapters, and they stop building on one another after that. There’s no clear logic behind the sequencing of topics between and within chapters, and the most practical sections are shorter than the more theoretical sections, making it difficult to see how this text would be used in contexts other than an English or Rhetoric classroom which was the stated goal of the material.
Overall, there seems to be an imbalance in the theoretical and the practical which doesn’t support the title’s use of “Guide.”
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The writing activities in the first couple chapters encourage the learner to challenge their previous ways of thinking about writing in a gentle manner.
They also help make the theoretical concepts more concrete and applicable to the learner’s context. These activities recommend sharing ideas/work with other students or the instructor, but this interaction isn’t necessary to complete them.
The beginning couple chapters do a good job of recycling and building upon concepts from previous chapters. It would be fairly easy to integrate single chapters into an already existing curriculum.
The text is engaging and builds concepts in a strong sequence. Interactive activities are useful.
Concerns:
The activities become less clear, focused, and scaffolded as the chapters progress; they become disjointed and disconnected from the target concepts.
There’s an attempt at learning objectives/a preview and review for each chapter, but the attempt doesn’t extend beyond a few general words or one general sentence.
Because these concepts outlined in the book are more theoretical than practical, the book isn’t necessarily efficient, and instructors would find it difficult to use the book and activities to measure SLOs.
There is a lot of text, which lends itself to students who are already willing and strong readers.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The PDFs are downloadable and therefore can be used without internet access.
Both the website and PDFs can be easily accessed, manipulated, and read on a mobile device.
Because the print is in black and white, the high contrast is easy on the eyes for long periods of reading.
The writing is clear and engaging and inviting
Chapters are clearly labeled on the landing page.
Concerns:
There is no index of subtopics within the chapters.
The chapters are all look like exported pdfs of webpages, which looks very dated.
A video and images in Chapter 1 are not visible.
Links and media are hit and miss: some work but the majority don’t, the former possibly because of old age
Formatting and spacing are inconsistent, especially for activities and headings.
The text-based nature of the material does not make it very navigable and scannable for important tips and information. More accessible graphic presentation (index, content in clearly labeled charts and checklists) would make this excellent content more accessible to more students.
There is no alt text for the images that do appear, and the PDFs can’t be read by a screenreader.
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
