In the final weeks of the Summer 2020 Writing for Digital Spaces course, a core course in the MS in Professional Writing program, students reflected on what they learned from the course in a newsletter with a very specific target audience: future students of the course. Of the final assignment, Adjunct Instructor Clea Mahoney suggests, “if you're a student, take these tips to heart! And if you're an Instructor, think about how you can help your students carve out a space for some meaningful self-reflection at the end of the semester.”
Embedded in a digital poster, students' snapshot advice to the next cohort included: Experiment with Voice, Hone Your Resilience, Go Easy on Yourself, and Step Outside the Comfort Zone.
In addition to the poster of advice, students' final projects include reflections articles that range in topics from “Reading for Digital Spaces” to “Meme-ing for Digital Spaces” as well as “When your Comfort Zone isn’t Digital Spaces.”
Looking for ways to enhance the student learning experience through creative assignments that centered on meaningful learner reflection, Mahoney combined students' final tips and articles into a newsletter for the next group. Mahoney shares “I was thrilled that one of the final edits I made to my course site was not about me delivering my content, but rather showcasing the brilliant words and writing talents of my summer students.” Seeing the final assignment of the semester as a way to give her students a place to share and express their personal reflections, Mahoney is looking forward to sharing this newsletter (and continuing this assignment) with future groups of Writing for Digital Spaces students.
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To learn more about the MS in Professional Writing program, visit sps.nyu.edu/MSPW