A Pearson English MyLab. Learn more
Meet the faculty who were closely involved in the development and classroom testing of the new MyCompLab.
We extend our deepest thanks to this talented group of rhetoricians and instructors for their invaluable guidance.
Gary Bennett
Associate Professor, Santa Ana College.
Shanti Bruce
Nova Southeastern University , Assistant Professor of English, Writing Program Coordinator, and Major Chair of the Master's in Writing Program.
Ph.D. in English; Composition and TESOL from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
I had a great time as a MyCompLab Advisory Board member. I applaud Pearson for creating a collaborative learning environment where we learned as much from each other and the software developers as Pearson learned from us. I enjoyed discussing the possibilities for the future of writing instruction, and it was exciting to see our suggestions transform the product.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
Freedom from flash drives!! I am most excited about MyCompLab's online space for writing, revising, and storing documents. My students will no longer suffer from program compatibility problems or have to rely on flash drives that always seem to be breaking and disappearing
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
MyCompLab is a dynamic online writing class environment for teachers and students.
Michael Burke
Assistant Professor of English, St Louis Community College - Meramec, St Louis, MO.
BA, Virginia Military Institute; MA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
Being a part of this project's development has been a great learning experience for me. I think it is harder to innovate in terms of software than I had thought it would be, and that any development is necessarily going to be an incremental rather than a radical improvement over current offerings. But I learned too that our students are very forgiving in this regard--they can make something new work well for them, particularly if the interface looks like something they have seen before. The project has also made me rethink the role of an online component in teaching composition in a traditional classroom. I can foresee moving a variety of review and exercise work to a website and freeing up class for those things that require a great deal of interpersonal contact, like peer editing and brainstorming in groups.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
I am excited about the ability to see multiple drafts and comment on them in an online environment. I can foresee taking an existing classroom exercise where we look at 9 different drafts of the same short essay, adapting it to the website so that students can see comments and changes over time, and then having them respond to those changes--would they agree, disagree or try something different?
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
It's a useful adjunct to a course text and could offer more flexibility for a traditional classroom course.
Liz Canfield
Assistant professor and Focused Inquiry Program Coordinator for the University College, Virginia Commonwealth University.
MFA in Creative Writing/Poetry from VCU.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
I really enjoyed being part of this group! I think that the process was helpful because it made me rethink how I frame writing in my courses. Having access to all of these tools within one spot allowed me to merge ideas and practices (i.e. drafting and portfolio) in my mind. I feel that MyCompLab is a wonderful idea and I feel that I added to the quality of the product with my feedback and with the actual classroom practice. I am very proud of the work that everyone has done, and look forward to the finished product!
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
I am most excited about the peer review and the composing space. I feel that the composing and feedback feature was most helpful when responding to student work. Being able to track where my students were was very helpful. They also appreciated being able to pass their drafts my way electronically. It helped me return feedback much faster and we created a more traceable dialogue around their work. I am really jazzed about the peer review function, even though we weren't able to get it to work for us. I feel that this function will be integral to the success of any online component to a writing course.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
MCL is a dynamic electronic space where students can create and share texts, get and give feedback, collaborate on a piece of writing, and create/revise a portfolio to bring with them to other courses.
Robert E. Cummings
Director of First-year Composition, QEP Program Specialist, Assistant Professor of English; Columbus State University.
Ph.D. English, University of Georgia; 2006 M.A. English, University of Mississippi; 1999 B.A. English, University of Tennessee, 1990.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
I have enjoyed being a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board. Having participated in software development on in an academic environment, it has been fun to work with Pearson to see first-hand how a large academic publisher approaches such a project. Paul Crockett especially has done a great job of listening to our concerns as teachers and administrators, and then ensuring that the software reflects our needs. Our group has embodied a lot of creativity and range of input.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
I am most excited about the use of e-portfolio in the product. FYC is being pushed from all sides to adopt outcomes assessment, and e-portfolios have long been the best method to balance the needs of students, teachers, and administrators in developing outcomes which make sense for classroom needs first. By incorporating e-ports into MCL, Pearson is ensuring a lot flexibility in the platform for departments looking to survive and even thrive in the coming assessment wars.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
In one sentence, I'd describe MCL as an online student composing tool with assessment, classroom management and e-portfolio features.
Bill Endres
University of Arizona , Teaching Advisor/Instructor.
Doctorate; Arizona State University, Spring 2008 (Rhetoric, Composition & Linguistics).
MA, University of New Hampshire (Writing of Poetry).
MLS (Masters of Liberal Studies) Ohio State University.
2 BSs from Ohio State University, Business & Education.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
It has been a joy working with my fellow advisers who are talented, innovative, and smart. Pearson has done a fabulous job managing the project and facilitating a dynamic environment. The work has been most rewarding.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
As an instructor, I'm elated with the ease of using MCL, from creating assignments to organizing a class online. For students, MCL offers an integrated learning environment that places everything they need to compose at their fingertips.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
Digital one-stop shopping for your total compositional needs.
Jose Flores
Professor, Austin Community College
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
he project itself was an on-line experience. Sharing, interacting, suggesting, testing the product, getting feedback (all-online), was a smooth process and a testament to how important work can be done sans the face-to-face meeting. And that's what MCL is about. The suggestions of the group--even suggestions about design and the color of the display--will make this product a useful tool for all composition instructors.
I have designed curriculum and authored texts for major publishers but have never worked on a project where the publishers hired a bunch of creative classroom instructors (not for a glance but for about a year) as guides.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
I like the collaboration features and the all-in-one page for composing, editing, and tools. The learning exercises and feedback applications are friendly and useful teaching tools, especially for on-line courses. The Spanish-English dictionary and ESL features will be very useful.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
MCL uses the latest technology to aid in teaching and managing a composition course.
Eric Hoffman
Northern Illinois University
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
My experience participating in the advisory process has been very positive. I think the collection of individuals involved collectively created a great think-tank whose collective input was greater than the sum of its parts, and I feel honored to be included. I very much appreciate the way the Pearson has included people "in the trenches" so to speak when designing this product -- I think it shows in the lucidity of the environment.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
Integration -- the fact that finally we have an integrated environment that is designed to help us teach and learn better. Up until now we use a little piece from here and a little piece from there and each little piece we add takes time and adds to the overall confusion factor. The fact that everything is integrated and sensible is wonderful.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
OMG you have GOT to see this! No, seriously, that's what I'd say.
Kelly Martin
Collin County Community College.
BA in Literary Studies, Magna Cum Laude, from University of Texas at Dallas MA in Literary Studies from University of Texas at Dallas.
Ph.D. in Literary Studies (emphasis in Rhetoric and Technology) from University of Texas at Dallas. To graduate May 2008.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
The process was very engaging, and it was very exciting to be a part of such an important project, as online writing tools, spaces, and methods of assessment (of course MyCompLab is all of these) are certainly at the forefront of composition pedagogy. Furthermore, the Pearson development team was very committed to ensuring that the voices of all advisory board members were "heard," for we were given multiple opportunities and methods for voicing our opinions: blogs, email, conference calls, tracking rubrics, beta accounts, and even "assignments" (in the form of questionnaires) to complete in MyCompLab.
Moreover, we always received feedback to our comments and documents, so we know that they were appreciated and critically considered. Finally, my students were glad to test the product, as they were happy that their "voices" were heard and their input considered (after all, they will be using the product as well)! Overall, this process was as rewarding as it was challenging!
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
A tough one: I am most excited about the composition tool/editor--the ability to create and grade documents IN the space. The ability for students AND teachers to create and review documents, as well as keep track of grades, in the same space and with the same application, is a truly dynamic and unique "feature" of MyCompLab. However, I am also very excited about the portfolio feature--one, again, that other applications do not include. It will be great when instructors can click on a student's name to get a full profile of that student's work.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
A versatile, yet, comprehensive tool and space for the study and practice of writing. (This last part is from Andrea Lunsford's definition of rhetoric--she includes "art," however.)
Miles McCrimmon
Professor of English , J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College , Richmond , VA.
Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin (1992) , M.A. Louisiana State University (1987) , B.A. Texas A & M University (1985) All in English.
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
Pearson's to be commended for designing such a dynamic, engaging process for the MyCompLab Advisory Board. I felt my input mattered, because I could see the results of my suggestions and those of my fellow board members in action. By using Web 2.0 techniques like the blog and live webchats, they've set the standard for future projects by making the design project much more horizontal and hands-on. I developed professional relationships with other board members that simply would not have been possible using traditional methods of feedback filtered through a single development editor. My students' experience class-testing the product gave them a chance to see how educational innovations actually get made in our industry. They enjoyed the chance to be involved.
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
I like the idea of sharing a common space for composition, peer and instructor response. If fully realized, "MyCompLab" promises to provide a "lingua franca" for members of a composition class community, resolving the compatibility problems that plague current course management systems.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
MyCompLab is the first course management system specifically designed for composition.
Stuart Selber
Penn State University , Associate Professor of English and Director of Composition.
PhD Michigan Technological University (1994), MTPW Northeastern University (1990), BA University of Delaware (1987).
Describe your experience as a member of the MyCompLab Advisory Board.
The experience was fantastic. I've been involved in a lot of software development, but never, in my experience, have users been so thoroughly integrated into the development process. Usability was not just a concern--it was the driving force. A refreshing approach! The process must have added quality to the product. How could it not?
What feature(s) are you most excited about and why?
I'm most excited about the features that directly support the writing process. Reference documents and testing spaces are important, but there are a lot of products out there meant to do that. We need more environments that provide instruction directly in the spaces in which composing happens. This, to me, is what's exciting about MCL: the relatively tight integration of composing and instruction on composing.
In one sentence, how would you describe MyCompLab to a colleague?
Built specifically for writers, an integrated environment that supports all aspects of the composing process.