The Problem

The client, the Writing Program at a large state university, employs over 100 instructors to teach required first-year writing courses. Most of these instructors are graduate students with little or no prior teaching experience. A key component of these courses is the individual writing conference, where students meet one-on-one with their instructor to receive personalized feedback on ongoing writing projects.

Writing conferences are an evidence-based practice that allows instructors to assess students’ needs and skill levels while collaborating with them to set personalized writing goals. Research shows that students are more likely to incorporate feedback when it is delivered through a one-on-one conversation rather than through written comments alone. The Writing Program, therefore, requires instructors to hold three individual conferences with each student per semester.

However, recent data revealed that many instructors are not holding writing conferences at the required rate:

• Student Feedback: On course evaluations from the past two academic years, only about 50% of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “One-on-one meetings with my instructor helped improve my writing.”
• Instructor Participation: A recent anonymous survey of writing instructors showed significant variation in the number of conferences held:
  • 30% reported holding three conferences last semester
  • 15% reported holding two conferences 
  • 25% reported holding one conference 
  • 20% reported holding no conferences

These findings highlight the need for targeted solutions to support instructors in implementing writing conferences effectively in order to improve student outcomes.

A goal was identified: frequency of writing conferences will increase by 40% within two academic terms as instructors become more confident, productive and efficient in helping student writers improve their writing skills.

Needs Analysis

Working through the ADDIE model, I first conducted a needs analysis to determine why instructors were not holding conferences. Discussion with key stakeholders and instructors revealed key differences between less experienced and more experienced instructors regarding their perception and implementation of writing conferences.

• Less experienced instructors:
  • Perceived writing conferences as useful but time-consuming
  • Preferred providing written feedback over verbal feedback
  • Reported feeling overwhelmed by higher-priority teaching duties, especially grading.
  • Reported varying conference lengths, from less than 10 minutes to over 30 minutes.

• More experienced instructors:
  • Were more likely than less experienced instructors to hold the required number of conferences.
  • Perceived conferences as essential tool for assessing student needs and providing feedback.
  • Used conferences and verbal feedback as a strategy to reduce their grading workload.
  • Limited conference length to approximately 15 minutes.

This information allowed me to identify the high-priority actions instructors must perform during writing conferences to help the Writing Program meet its goal. Focusing on what instructors need to do, rather than know, allowed me to quickly identify practical solutions and encourage engagement from busy, often overwhelmed graduate students. Creating an Action Map (see below) helped to visualize the relationships among the high-priority actions that instructors need to perform to achieve the Writing Program’s goal.

The Solution

To address this issue, I proposed a self-paced, scenario-based eLearning course that allows instructors to practice interacting with students during writing conferences. An eLearning course was identified as the ideal solution to address this problem for several reasons:

• It offers a risk-free environment for instructors to practice responding to students.
• It provides flexibility for faculty and graduate students with diverse schedules and work environments.
• It addresses the current problem while also serving as a long-term training tool for new graduate instructors.
• It can be customized to meet the needs and goals of instructors with varying levels of experience and skill.
• It can be adapted for use in other university departments with writing requirements.

In addition to developing the eLearning course, I recommended the following steps to further strengthen instructors’ skills and support effective teaching practices:

• Incorporate an observation or discussion of effective writing conference practices into the existing peer mentorship program.
• Develop and distribute a job aid summarizing the steps for organizing and planning class-wide writing conferences.
• Regularly remind instructors of the benefits of writing conferences for both effective instruction and time management.
• Revise course evaluations to include items measuring the frequency and perceived usefulness of writing conferences.

I identified the following high-priority actions that can be addressed through training and will most effectively help the Writing Program achieve its goal.

1. Focus on the student’s priorities.
2. Ask questions that assess the writer’s needs and guide them toward their own conclusions.
3. Set clear boundaries and expectations for communication and responsibility.

Next, I wrote three course objectives to guide the development of learning scenarios, each alligned with the high-priority actions described above. In the course, learners will:

1. Ask thoughtful questions that:
   • assess the needs of writers and
   • prompt writers to come to conclusions on their own.
2. Help students take ownership of their work by:
   • setting clear boundaries and expectations for communication and responsibility and
   • assisting them in accessing appropriate university resources.
3. Center the voice of the writer by:
   • discussing student priorities before discussing instructor priorities, and
   • asking leading questions that keep discussion grounded in the writer’s text.

Text-based Storyboard

Next, I created a draft of a text-based storyboard and designed a scenario for each of the three learning objectives. I wrote the script to reflect a realistic, conversational tone between an instructor and student.

In each scenario, learners face realistic consequences for their choices, seeing both how a student might respond immediately and how those interactions could affect the student’s performance and the instructor’s workload over the semester. This approach allows learners to explore real-world outcomes in a risk-free environment.

To support decision-making, I introduced a mentor character who guides learners through the experience and offers advice when needed.

I integrated feedback from Writing Program instructors to ensure alignment with course objectives and the program’s overarching goal. Using this input, I revised the storyboard thoroughly before proceeding with the development of a prototype scenario in Articulate Storyline 360.

Visual Design

I began the visual design process by creating an environmental setting for the scenarios that was both visually appealing and contextually appropriate for the course content. The setting was designed to feel realistic and engaging while remaining subtle enough not to distract from the learning experience.

From this background setting, I developed a cohesive color palette that extended to other course elements, ensuring a consistent visual style. This unified design helped create a professional, polished look while reinforcing the course’s tone and maintaining learner focus.

Finally, I designed sets of realistic characters to foster an emotional connection with learners, enhancing motivation and retention.

Interactive Prototype

After finalizing the visual style, I used the revised storyboard to develop a prototype scenario in Articulate Storyline 360. The prototype included a scenario introduction, interactive slides, and two fully designed questions, each featuring branching consequences to reflect different learner choices. Once the prototype was complete, I gathered feedback from Writing Program instructors and instructional designers to ensure its effectiveness and flow.

Incorporating this feedback, I refined the prototype and proceeded with the full development of the remaining scenarios. Because I had established a strong foundation—including a clear storyboard, visual design, and interactive framework—the development process was both efficient and streamlined.

Reflection and Takeaways

This project presented me with many opportunities to learn, adapt, and persevere through challenges. Each step in the process required me to reflect on my work, solve problems, remain open to feedback, and constantly revise and iterate. 

The project taught me the importance of spending adequate time and effort in the needs analysis and design phases to ensure alignment with client goals, course objectives, and a smooth and efficient development phase. A thorough needs analysis was essential in identifying not only high-priority actions to target in the training, but also to identify alternative solutions that could support the achievement of the client’s goal.

The importance of creating an authentic and visually consistent experience for the viewer. I aimed to create a realistic, immersive learning environment that fully engaged learners, allowing them to focus their cognitive energy on meeting challenges rather than navigating the course itself. By designing a realistic and contextually relevant setting, I sought to enhance learner engagement through intuitive interactions, and a seamless user experience, ensuring that learners could concentrate on applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills without unnecessary distractions.