1. STAIR Project Report
Lisa Mulka
I found the STAIR project to be the most challenging project of CEP 811 because I struggled
with defining how I could approach this technology differently from how it is already being used
in my teaching environment. At Jackson Community College we currently use STAIRS as part
of the requirement for all composition classes (although they are referred to as workshops) and
the students strongly disfavor them. Students often view the workshops as busy work or to quote
the most common phrase “a waste of time.” The problem with the JCC workshops is that the
slides are very dense in content and all activities are to be turned into the instructor—there is no
immediate feedback built within the workshop. This causes students to rush through, skip slides,
and not read the important content and quickly complete the activities for credit. The workshops
have met much frustration between students and teachers alike and even though my final STAIR
is targeted toward an argumentative writing class at Lansing Community College, I held my
experiences at JCC close by as I designed it. I wanted to address the current problems I faced
with using STAIRS and try to overcome those to create a meaningful learning experience for my
students.

2. With this new mission in mind, I set off to create a basic argumentative writing overview
STAIR designed to be completed in the beginning of the semester in WRIT 122 classes. There
were certain elements that I found necessary to include in this STAIR, particularly the final
practices, because of the accountability issue. Without something to be turned into the teacher, I
think a large portion of students simply would not bother to complete the whole workshop. By
placing the practices at the end that asks them to apply on paper what they have learned and
submit it to the teacher, accountability becomes present. While this is the basic principle of the
workshops used at JCC (to turn in activities), I knew that wouldn’t be enough to fully engage my
audience. To enhance the engagement level, I built questions within each of the two main
categories of the STAIR: Argumentative Elements and Argumentative Structures. The quiz
questions ask students to think about the concepts presented and click on the correct answer in
order to move forward in the workshop. By integrating immediate feedback and interaction,
students are able to test their knowledge of the content but also remain an active participant. Part
of the problems I experienced with JCC’s workshops was the lack of active participation on the
students’ part and I hoped to solve that dilemma at LCC by inserting active questions that
challenged students to think. In addition to the questions, students are provided feedback in my
STAIR that either explains the answer more thoroughly when answered correctly, or the question
clarified when answered incorrectly. This allows students to further engage with the subject
material and fully let the information sink in.
There are many strategies employed in this STAIR to engage student learning. Perhaps the
most significant strategy is simulation and problem solving through the final practices. Students
are encouraged to engage in the material first hand, to interact with the content they learned and
apply it in their writing. Within the practices, there is also the strategy of metaphor as students

3. must connect their understanding of the material to an essay. The slides as well as the questions
could be categorized as a deductive approach because the definition of each word is provided
followed by quiz questions that serve as examples. I think the combination of strategies is what
keeps activities like this engaging for students and interesting for them to complete.
In assessing my final product, I think I have created a more effective workshop for students
to engage in, but there are still weaknesses that I want to address before I use this in my
classroom. The strengths of the workshop include challenging questions that asks students input
in addition to practices at the end of the workshop that ask students to apply their knowledge and
submit to the instructor. I believe these two
components will encourage students to
actively think through the material rather
than skim through. Additionally, I think the
design is fairly strong to include images
where necessary and various other graphic
features to enhance the presentation. A screen shot of my STAIR
While I consider the questions and practices part of the strengths of my STAIR, I also think
they are part of the weaknesses as well. I am still not convinced that college students (unless
highly self-motivated or it’s completed in class) will find this something other than busy work. I
have wrestled with this issue for a long time now since STAIRs are mandatory requirements at
JCC and I witness first hand each semester how much students dread completing them. The
effectiveness of STAIRs in a college composition classroom is an area I want to do more
research in and understand how they can be created to reach through to students. Adding input
from students and questions within the workshop will help, but I still think there is more I could

4. have done to further engage my target audience. I would have to research this area further and
our workshops at JCC are currently being reviewed for the same issues, but I wonder how else
STAIRs are used in higher education and if there are models of successful ones.