ABSTRACT
In studies of distributed learning, it is not unusual to see active learning equated with interaction. To those studying asynchronous environments, interaction can mean something as simple as a student’s ability to take the quiz in a course management system, such as Blackboard, and get instant feedback, a grade, and corrections. Interaction can also mean communication among students using discussion boards or e-mail. In addition, interaction can mean the inclusion of multimedia elements such as interactive graphics in a human anatomy course or short sound files associated with a PowerPoint lecture in a philosophy course. However, when we look closely at writing and writing-intensive (WI) courses in distributed learning networks, we find that active learning does not necessarily correspond to the interactive elements of the course Web site or learning management system. For us, active learning means student involvement with assignment sequences and student engagement with the development of the course’s disciplinary knowledge.1 Interactive elements can help, but alone they are not sufficient to engage most students in the deep, active-learning processes that writing across the curriculum (WAC) and the best distributed-learning programs promote. On the other hand, although WAC initiatives and strategies have much to offer faculty who are designing courses for distributed environments, those strategies do not always transfer easily. For that reason, in the following pages, we explore the theoretical and practical implications of the process script as an interactive learning strategy that can be constructed for WAC and WI courses delivered from a distance.
