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Course Stories, Season 5, Episode 2: Get LIT with Writers’ Studio: Redefining ASU's High Impact Courses
In this week’s episode, we have the privilege of introducing a remarkable team that operates in the shadows, working tirelessly on ASU’s high-impact courses. Join us as we sit down with the extraordinary faculty members from the Writers’ Studio: Michelle Stuckey (Clinical Assistant Professor and the Writing Program Administrator), Zach Waggoner (ENG 101 Coordinator), John Buckley (Writers’ Studio Course Coordinator), and Sean Tingle (ENG 105 Faculty). We hear how they work with Michael Miller, an Academic Success and Retention specialist to hear how they embark on a journey to redefine the first-year writing course, emphasizing real-world writing experiences over traditional academic writing. They collaborate as a cohesive team to craft not one, but three courses, all interconnected by an engaging throughline that leverages students’ own life experiences as a vital part of the writing process. Michael also takes some time to unveil the inner workings of the Learning Initiatives Team within EdPlus. Discover how they employ data to inform their design decisions when revamping high-impact courses for online students.
It’s not all just data talk – We also can’t NOT talk about AI and its impact on these first-year writers. Hear how this team is tackling AI in the classroom.
Dive deep into the hidden world that fuels your everyday classes right here on Course Stories.
In this Episode:
Michelle Stuckey
Michelle Stuckey is a clinical assistant professor and the writing program administrator for the Writers’ Studio, a fully online first-year composition program in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. In this capacity, she leads curriculum design and faculty development for the program. Stuckey also oversees a course-embedded peer tutoring program, in which advanced undergraduates and graduate students mentor students in first-year writing courses. Stuckey contributed to the design and development of the Global Freshman Academy’s English 101 and 102 courses, a collaborative effort that received the 2017 President’s Award for Innovation.
Stuckey’s teaching and research focus on increasing equity, inclusion, and accessibility in post-secondary education, digital literacy, and community-based writing.
Zach Waggoner
Zach Waggoner received his PhD from Arizona State University. Past academic experiences include time as the Associate Director for Stanford University’s Program in Writing and Rhetoric and the Associate Director for ASU’s Writing Programs (Tempe Campus). His research interests include videogame rhetoric, computers and writing, digital portfolios, and the rhetoric of gender in society. Dr. Waggoner oversees English 101 for CISA’s online Writers’ Studio.
John Buckley
John Buckley is an ASU alum, having graduated with a BA in English Literature in 2005. He then went on to obtain his MPW (MFA equivalent) from USC in 2008, with a dual focus on short fiction and screenwriting. After completing his post-secondary education, Mr. Buckley began teaching English at the community college level in 2008, which he did full-time until 2014, when he became a full-time technical writer/editor in the corporate sector (while still teaching night classes). In 2016, Mr. Buckley was hired as a Faculty Associate in the Writers’ Studio, and he became a full-time Instructor in 2017. He then became the Writing Mentor Coordinator in 2019. In this role, he hires, trains, and oversees a group of 80+ course-embedded tutors. In his free time, Mr. Buckley still writes short fiction and regularly publishes pieces in literary journals, both in print and online.
Sean Tingle
Sean Tingle is driven by a commitment to pursuing knowledge and excellence when it comes to the instruction of First-Year Composition at the Writers’ Studio. Though Sean is an NAU alumnus, their parents both graduated from—and originally met at—ASU, so their Sun Devil roots grow deep.
Sean has degrees in both Humanities and English and has taught courses in Film Studies and Popular Culture in the past, providing a multidisciplinary perspective in writing instruction. Sean also had the opportunity to teach English in Himeji, Japan as part of the Phoenix Sister Cities program, which was a great way to engage in teaching English to diverse learners.
Sean strives to embody the spirit of academic curiosity and dedication to success in writing and composition. They model this for their students by remaining committed to lifelong learning and staying up to date on technology, current events, and popular culture to keep an eye on the world their students are navigating daily.
Michael Miller
Michael came to ASU Online in 2016 to complete his bachelor’s degree through the University’s partnership with Starbucks. As a student, Michael worked as a Senior Writing Mentor within the Writers’ Studio where he helped develop their Writing Mentor Committee group. After graduating from ASU in 2019 with his BA in English, Michael joined EdPlus as a Success Coach before promoting to the Training Manager for the Success Coaching Center. After completing his MEd in educational technology alongside a graduate certificate in rhetoric, writing, and digital media studies from NAU, Michael moved into his current role as an instructional designer and Academic Success & Retention Specialist where he utilizes a learning engineering approach to support ASU’s highest impact online courses. |
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Resources from this Episode
Additional Links for your enjoyment and exploration into a deeper understanding of this Course Story.
- Learn more about what Principled Innovation is and what it means to the dedicated faculty and designers here.
- Check out the Writers’ Studio website to learn more about their unique approach to first-year composition courses.
Want to learn more about our guests and their work? Check out these articles and podcast below:
- ASU Class Transforms Keyboard Warries into Community Activists by Marshall Terrill
- Pedagogical Perspectives on Cognition and Writing – Chapter 7: “Cognition and Community: Using the Habits of Mind to Engage Students in Community-Focused Writing” pg. 149 (Feat. all WS authors: Michelle Stuckey, James Toweill, Sean Tingle, Heather MacDonald, and Jessica Harnisch)
- “Rebuilding Habits: Assessing the Impact of a Hybrid Learning Contract in Online First-Year Composition Courses” – Stuckey, Michelle A.; Erdem, Ebru; Waggoner, Zachary
- Health: It’s Personal! A Podcast by Sean Tingle
Course Stories is produced by EdPlus out of Arizona State University.
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