E387N Theory, Method, Practice: Research in Virtual Environments

Professor M. A. Syverson
syverson@uts.cc.utexas.edu

Division of Rhetoric and Composition
University of Texas at Austin

This Web site contains important information about the policies of this course. You should read and understand the information posted here. If you are not clear about any aspect of the course, its requirements, activities, or method of evaluation, please let me know. You may save the text of any page by choosing the "Save As" command in the File menu of Netscape. Students who remain in the class after the 12th class day are assumed to accept these policies.

Course Description: Theory, Method, Practice: Research in Virtual Environments

Denis Diderot (1713-84) "On the Interpretation of Nature XV," 1753.

Diderot's quote exemplifies enlightenment ideals for research in the sciences. Seemingly straightforward and unambiguous, each term of this quote presents its own set of problems for contemporary research, and most particularly for research in computer-based environments, from email to hypertext to MOOs and MUDs to the WorldWide Web. These environments are increasingly important not only as subjects for inquiry by researchers, but also as resources. BioMOO, for example, offers a virtual reality environment that combines text and graphics to serve researchers in the biological sciences, who interact with each other, present early findings, collaborate on research projects, and raise questions about their ongoing research. On the other hand, DragonMUD is a text-based social MUD where participants create fictional characters, embark on quests, build imaginative spaces, and interact in character; this MUD has been the subject of research in anthropology.

The double impact of technology on research challenges conventional research methods; ethnographies, surveys, case studies, discourse analysis and other methodologies must be reconsidered, new methods must be developed to address fundamental questions in this field. In this course we will consider existing research methods and their limitations in computer-based environments; we will also work toward reconceiving research from theory to method to practice. We will explore these environments not only as potential subjects for research, but also as potential resources for researchers. From word processed transcripts of an interview, to sophisticated programs for discourse analysis, to online publication of research results, to debates in scholarly computer forums, new technologies have dramatically altered the playing field for researchers. This course will explore changes in research methods, subjects of inquiry, and theories of research in our discipline. In the process we will take a critical look at both conventional and electronic research strategies in composition studies and rhetoric. Consequently we will be concerned with epistemological issues surrounding the construction and sharing of knowledge, as well as issues in the rhetoric of inquiry.

Please note: Basic computer skills are not taught in this course. Students should be familiar with keyboarding, copying and saving files to disks, word processing, and sending and receiving email. Students are required to have a computer account with both email and web posting privileges.

I enjoy meeting with students to discuss concerns and questions about the class. Please feel free to stop by my office during office hours, or email me with questions or suggestions for the class.

Note: When sending email about this class, please put the class number (387) as the first item in the subject line of your message.

Grading Policy: Grades in this course are determined on the basis of an Online Learning Record, which accompanies a portfolio of work presented at the midterm and at the end of the course. These portfolios present a selection of student work, both formal and informal, completed during the semester, ongoing observations about student learning, and analysis of student work and interpretations with respect to the student's development across five dimensions of learning: confidence and independence, knowledge and understanding, skills and strategies, use of prior and emerging experience, and reflectiveness. This development centers around the major strands of work in the course: rhetoric and composition, research, technology, and collaboration.

Coursework:

Students will work individually and collaboratively to design, plan, and make a formal proposal for research intended to focus on a particular computer-based environment‹email discussion group, MOO or MUD, WorldWide Web site. This work will be divided into four stages: a statement of the inquiry question, problem, or issue; an annotated bibliography of existing relevant research; a summary of three potential methodologies; and a formal research proposal. The projects will be framed to address major questions about the relationship between technology, culture, and cognition. Students will develop projects with the goal of producing a publishable paper, Web document, software project, multimedia project, or comparable piece of work intended to provoke a rethinking of current research paradigms. Planned research may form the basis for a larger study, such as a dissertation or thesis. The format, scope, and topic of projects is decided through individual consultation with the instructor.

Please note: All assigned work, including informal writing, proposals, rough drafts, finished projects, peer critiques, the midterm OLR and final OLR must be completed and submitted on time to receive a passing grade in this course. Except under extraordinary circumstances, there will be no incompletes in this class.

syverson@uts.cc.utexas.edu