Joining Woods Online and on-campus students for a creative writing class has created a “beautiful fusion” of non-traditional and traditional learners, says Josh MacIvor-Andersen, MFA, assistant professor of English at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Inviting guest speakers from all areas of the profession adds to the enhanced learning style.
For Woods Online student Sara Allard, the hybrid experience has been eye-opening. The English major from Brazil, Indiana, said connecting to fellow Pomeroys impacted what she got out of the class.
“Being able to talk to other students — to hear what experiences inspired their poems and laugh along with their jokes — definitely improved my learning,” Allard said. “Josh’s hybrid class gave me a way to connect to my professor and classmates that I would’ve never had otherwise, especially as an autistic student who can’t drive myself to campus.”
MacIvor-Andersen is intentional when inviting guest speakers to the class to show a wide range of professions available to writers, editors and creatives. A copywriter from Indianapolis, Cy Wood, expressed how fun it was to remember why he loved writing. Another guest speaker, Michael Mlekoday, focuses on hip hop as poetry.
“Part of my pedagogical approach is to connect students with practitioners — experts who are actually out in the world as professionals,” MacIvor-Andersen said. “I really feel committed to giving students access to a variety of professionals with a variety of perspectives and not just my own. They are getting a full range of instruction from some of the best writers, editors and instructional designers in the country.”
Allard said she learned a lot about the publishing process and was excited when a publisher from Penguin Random House put a meeting on hold to meet with the class.
“These are the kind of amazing opportunities that I never thought would be accessible to me,” she said. “Before this class, I thought fiction was the only place where my imagination could be used, but now I have a newfound interest in nonfiction, especially immersive journalism.”
MacIvor-Andersen allowed professional writing major Braden Kelsey to attend some guest speakers, although he wasn’t in the creative writing class. Kelsey said it was more than helpful.
“Speaking to professionals within my field has been one of the best parts of my degree,” Kelsey said. “To actually get to sit down with somebody who is doing what I want to do is an affirmation that my lofty goals are possible, and the information they convey is worth tuition in itself.”
MacIvor-Andersen explained some online students could feel disconnected. This asynchronous option allows opportunities for all different walks of life to assemble.
“I’ll never forget the time a student was able to Team in from Rhode Island, and I took my iPad and pivoted it around so she could see all the traditional students,” MacIvor-Andersen said. “She got a standing ovation. I could see the excitement and joy on her face to feel so welcome at a Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College campus classroom. What a beautiful connection.”
To fully immerse students in the world of writing, MacIvor-Andersen is using a free digital edition of the magazine he helps edit, Ruminate, to show them the behind-the-scenes work in place of a textbook. Conversations with his magazine colleagues help students understand the process of decision making, editing and more.
“It’s a whole new level of access and enlightenment for students. It’s something I think is really beneficial,” he said.
Kelsey, who transferred to the College in August, said MacIvor-Andersen has been an “essential mentor” and showed him his passion can be a career.
“Having attended another institution, I can say with confidence that this degree of passion and love for students’ potential is only present at The Woods,” Kelsey said. He has reached out to MacIvor-Andersen with questions and ideas and has always gotten a thought-out response. “You just don’t get that kind of connection with a mentor in places where you feel like a number.”
Students — campus and Woods Online — can get their byline published in several works. MacIvor-Andersen and his class recently launched a guidebook project, which serves as a place for students to highlight what they think is unique about the Wabash Valley while also practicing their skills. Aurora, the College’s literary magazine, is a longstanding publication that features short stories, poems, photography, art and more.
MacIvor-Andersen isn’t the only Woods professor venturing into more immersive educational experiences. Shandi Wagner, Ph.D., assistant professor of British literature, also created a hybrid experience for a topics in English class.