UA students sample new teaching styles

Some English 101 and 102 students used a University of Arizona faculty-written textbook, a computerized virtual community and the Internet during class time.

The University Book, an anthology of essays written by more than 125 UA faculty, incorporates a variety of study areas into composition classes. More than 500 students used the book this semester.

"We tried to show students how different disciplines come together," said Tom Miller, director of the composition program. "It represents the university as a community of writers."

Faculty and graduate students from different campus departments developed the anthology, dubbed the "U Book," Miller said.

The book will endure another three or four years of revision before it is completed, he said.

"As the book settles into place, we'll have a full-blown assessment," Miller said.

He predicts editors will shave about 100 pages off the current edition, which is printed by Simon and Schuster. Miller said the publishing company donated funds for the U Book's development and production, but would not specify the amount.

Although composition instructors can choose from three different anthologies to teach core English courses, the U Book is "cheaper" at $35.50 at the UA Associated Students Bookstore.

Teachers are also connecting students to the outside world through modern technology.

English professors Roxanne Mountford and Ken McAllister have integrated computers and the Internet into their classrooms.

"We believe computers are introducing a new kind of literacy. I've seen students go through their education and not become adept at using computers," said McAllister, whose students use the College of Humanities Laboratory, a computer classroom where they interact electronically. "It's like getting out of college and not knowing how to read. It (computer literacy) is becoming a basic skill."

Students use the lab for peer evaluations, journal entries and class discussions.

"There's a lot of things students can do in there," McAllister said. "People can communicate both electronically and verbally."

But the humanities laboratory has its disadvantages, McAllister said.

A lack of hardware and software makes it difficult for students and professors to access the lab, and programs run slowly.

"The software and hardware being used right now are about as good as can be obtained at the moment, but it's not good enough," he said.

Mountford said his students find themselves immersed in a virtual world with the "MOO" program.

MOO, which stands for Multi-User Domain, Object-Oriented, allows students to interact in a simulated community. Cyberspace users can create dorm rooms or stroll down North Fourth Avenue without leaving the comfort of home.

"You create a complete world with buildings and homes," Mountford said.

Virtual environment simulations are nothing new, he said.

The first of such programs, created in the 1980s, closely resembled the game Dungeons and Dragons.

The university shelled out more than $15,000 for the UA's version, known as "OldPuebloMOO," which Mountford and two assistants developed and fine tuned this summer.

Although the virtual environment and the humanities lab are both designed to encourage students to work together, the latter allows them to talk in person.

"One is real and one isn't in a sense," McAllister said.

The MOO also encourages interaction between students and the Tucson community, Mountford said.

"It seems like the university is separated from Tucson," she said. "We all think that way, but it's not true. It's all connected."

Stephanie Corns can be reached via e-mail at Stephanie.Corns@wildcat.arizona.edu