Partners in Literacy describes the process, research, relationships, and theories that guided a three-year partnership between the Purdue University Writing Lab and two community organizations in Lafayette, Indiana: the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy and WorkOne Express. This partnership resulted in a new section of the globally known Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) and the Community Writing and Education Station (CWEST), which featured adult literacy resources in the areas of GED preparation, English as a Second Language, and workplace and job search literacy. Using an empirical and iterative design process, the authors worked closely with their community partners to develop, test, revise, and launch these resources. In Partners in Literacy, the authors argue that writing centers can be effective spaces from which to work with the community and that writing centers' missions of sustainability, outreach, and research-driven practice can offer valuable philosophies for civic engagement. To support this argument, the book discusses the research methods and findings, the process behind developing and sustaining the three-year engagement project, and the personal relationships that ultimately held the project together.
Foreword Preface: Bridging University and Community Spaces Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Background and Methodology *An Engaged Course Project *The Researchers' Backgrounds *The Researchers' Roles in the Project *Emergent Methodology Chapter 2: Community Partners and Overview of Research Methods *Reaching out to the Community *Learning More about the Project's Partners *Writing the Engagement Project *Research Methods and Seeking IRB Approval *Funding the Project Chapter 3: Methods and Findings from Stage One - Developing the GED Resources *A Picture of a Community Education Program: Initial Research Findings *Drafting the GED Materials *First Reactions to the GED Resources: A Focus Group *After the Focus Group: Initial Revisions to the GED Resources *Instructor Response to the GED Resources: Round Two Interviews and Observations *The Need for Flexible Resources Chapter 4: Methods and Findings from Stages Two and Three - Developing the ESL and Job Document Resources *Revising the Resources and Posting them to the Purdue OWL *Generation One Testing *Working with WorkOne *Generation Two Testing Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusions *Jaclyn's Reflections *Allen's Reflections *Conclusions Chapter 6: Engagement as Professional Work *Engaged Scholarship: How the CWEST Informs Allen's Community-Based Work in Baltimore *Diverse Roles and Responsibilities: How the CWEST Informs Jaclyn's Writing Center Work Conclusion: Looking Back, Looking Forward References Appendix *Chapter Heuristic Questions *Research Protocols *Observational Protocol for First LARA Observations *Questions for Second LARA Interviews *Observational Protocol for Second LARA Observations *CWEST LARA Usability Test Protocol *LARA Instructor Interview Script *WorkOne Express Usability Testing About the Authors
