A team of three graduate students in the writing, rhetoric and American cultures program at Michigan State University are changing the way language is used in the classroom.
Spokesperson for the team, Laura Gonzales, won first place at the annual Special Interest Group on Design of Communication conference for their application idea, PromptMe, and is now in the running for a national title in Microsoft’s Student Research Competition.
Third year doctoral student in the writing, rhetoric and American cultures program Laura Gonzales and graduate students Rebecca Zantjer and Howard Fooksman created the idea for PromptMe in an information and interaction design course.
The class is centered on projects that integrate information, interfaces and areas students are passionate about.
The team’s focus was on the different languages seen within classrooms and understanding the varying interpretations between students and instructors. Using their knowledge of language in academics, the group brainstormed an application that would allow teachers to upload assignments and get immediate feedback from students.
The goal of the app is for classes to discuss the meaning of the words and the assignment as a whole, and build a better understanding between teachers and students.
PromptMe was supported by the College of Arts and Letters Creativity Exploratory’s Pathways to Entrepreneurship Program.
The team applied for a Pathways grant to be able to continue to develop PromptMe, and to send Gonzales to Limerick, Ireland for the SIGDOC conference.
Along with the funding from the CE, designer Nicole Geller helped in creating PromptMe’s logo, and doctoral student Heather Turner assisted Gonzales in the poster design. Mentor to the group and director of writing, information, and digital experience Liza Potts also helped the team get to SIGDOC.
“The help we received is reflective of MSU’s broader commitment to entrepreneurship and the spirit of innovation that distinguishes this institution and its people,” Zantjer said.