University of Louisiana Monroe English students experienced the world of freelance writing in a class project where they researched and contributed articles for an international publication.
In the fall 2021 Writing in the Sciences course taught by Patrick Morgan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English in the College of Arts, Education and Sciences, the students wrote for Outsmart Insight, a London-based intelligence company that tracks emerging technologies.
ULM students participating in the project included Joey Bounds, Canen Braxton, Alivia Busch, Eli Fitzgerald, Ashley Grant, Kaylee Sadler, Gabe Wright, Dawson Jacobs, Jacob Lewis, Cade Robinson, Paurava Thakore, Bryonna LeBaron, and Melissa Jackson.
Each student was given a freelance assignment to read recent scientific articles about new technologies developing in labs worldwide. The students then translated the science into 250-word articles for the company’s magazine.
“The students did a remarkable job,” said Morgan. “They acted like professionals throughout the entire process, coming together to help each other improve as writers, revising multiple times, and submitting quality writing.”
“My favorite part about this assignment was that it didn’t feel like an assignment,” said Grant. “By that, I mean there was no rubric or concrete guidelines. This was challenging at first, but it led to this feeling more like an experience, and not just schoolwork. I felt like a writer, not just a student trying to get a grade.”
The company reached out to Morgan to freelance for them; instead, he suggested the students draft the articles. The company agreed, even providing editorial feedback alongside the edited, finalized versions based on the students’ original submissions.
“The students in the course are now published writers and can list their publications on their résumés,” said Morgan. “But the truly valuable thing is that they see themselves differently. They appreciate the heft of language, the impact of a well-turned phrase, and they view their own education with new eyes. Over the course of the project, they transformed into writers.”