Successful Course Redesign Event in English Held in Seattle

On April 13, 2012 an assortment of English faculty came together to participate in Pearson’s workshop on Course Redesign: Maximizing the Benefits of Technology in the English Classroom. The day-long workshop was jam-packed with presentations, panels, demos, and case studies. Both Pearson Faculty Advisors and Pearson Authors were in attendance to present and participate in the day’s activities.

The workshop opened with a keynote given by Pearson’s Faculty Advisor duo from California State University, Bakersfield, Randi Brummett and Brooke Hughes. These two seasoned Faculty Advisors focused their presentation on using technology to address today’s challenges in the classroom.

The rest of the day was divided between learning more about technology and hearing first-hand accounts of how Pearson English MyLabs work in the classroom. Breakout sessions in technology were conducted and very well-received. One attendee said these sessions, “provided me with great examples of how to use the online MyWritingLab.” In addition to the individual MyLab demos, Liz Garza, Pearson’s Market Research and Development Manager in Digital Content showed off MyFoundationsLab.

Faculty Advisors presented their own case studies to show how they’ve integrated the English MyLabs into their own course. Wes Anthony from Cleveland Community College shared his experience with MySkillsLab, Deborah Scaggs from Texas A&M International University shared her experience with MyCompLab, and Brummett and Hughes made a second appearance to share their experiences with MyWritingLab.

Brummett and Hughes even though very busy at this workshop, had time to find themselves star-struck when meeting Pearson Author John Bean from Seattle University. Bean inspired Brummett and Hughes when they were in grad school so much they used his methods to develop their own teaching. Other Pearson authors who attended the workshop were June Johnson from Seattle University, Pam Dusenberry from Shoreline Community College, and Marcie Sims from Green River Community College. It’s always such a bonus to have Faculty Advisors and Pearson Authors join in at workshops.

At the end of the day, attendees left an event that surpassed most of their expectations and went home with a lot of information to digest and hopefully use to attack any challenges they’re facing in their own courses. Another attendee summed up the day perfectly: “The venue was amazing, the hospitality was incredible, the Pearson staff are awesome, and the resources that were highlighted seem user-friendly and relevant to the course I’m redesigning.”