Reimagining Freshman Composition: Challenges, Opportunities, and Insights from the D2S2 Project

Reimagining Freshman Composition: Challenges, Opportunities, and Insights from the D2S2 Project

Khimen Cooper, Gwendolyn Inoncencio, Christina Anneke Snyder

This panel explores the unique challenges of the D2S2 project funded by THECB and coordinated by Terri Pantuso, Associate Dean at Texas A&M University, as it relates to English 1301 & 1302, freshman composition courses. In the summer of 2024, a team of rhetoric and composition instructors came together to develop open-access course content course content for English 1301 & 1302. Throughout the process, the team grappled with fundamental questions about the nature and purpose of freshman composition courses. These questions include the roles of literature and rhetoric, best practices for teaching individual and social responsibility, and the most effective ways to foster critical thinking and writing skills. Additionally, questions arose about the role of technology in the classroom, particularly considering the pandemic-driven shift towards online and hybrid learning as well as the growing use of generative artificial intelligence. The panel, composed of the project coordinator and English 1301 & 1302 content creators, will grapple with these questions as they share their unique perspectives on the D2S2 project experience.