Step 3: Adopt Constructivist Pedagogies
Inclusion embraces aspects of constructivist pedagogies, in which students and instructors create a community of inquiry (Garrison and Vaughan, 2008) and discovery. Supportive communities can form online, although scholars suggest this takes more time to establish than in physical writing spaces (Breuch 2005). Effective first-year composition courses require a sense of community; Garrison and Vaughan (2008) suggested a model for virtual writing spaces:
A community of inquiry is a cohesive and interactive community of learners whose purpose is to critically analyze, construct, and confirm worthwhile knowledge. The three key elements for a viable community of inquiry are social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. (9)
Writing center scholars have long advocated for designs that encourage collaborative learning (Hobson, 2001). The small-group designs so effective in physical writing spaces are easily implemented online. We can adapt these small-group pedagogies to online composition courses by employing features of many learning management systems; virtual writing spaces generally support groups and pairings. Additionally, it is much easier to reassemble groups or have task-specific groups online if we wish to expose students to more of their peers during a writing course.
Inclusive design encourages asynchronous communication to accommodate students with limited motor control and cognitive differences (Bruch 2003). Asynchronous groups have time to consider questions individually, and then bring insights and questions to the group. This approach fosters constructivist activities: the discovery, creation, and exploration of meaning (Garrison and Vaughan 2008). The instructor becomes an online guide, not a lecturer, embracing the nature of virtual composition classrooms.