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Fall 2005
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A lot—we’ve been busy. With the W courses now in full swing in
departments across campus, the University Writing Center (UWC) has
found a variety of new ways to assist faculty members and bring more
writing help to more students. While our dedication to our first
mission—offering one-on-one advice to students on their writing—remains
unchanged, we’re also finding innovative ways to create an atmosphere
at Texas A&M where effective writing is a priority for faculty
members and students alike.
Stand and Deliver' faculty blog
Need to vent about teaching writing? Want to share a writing assignment
that worked well? Looking for advice about handling the paper load in a
W course? Maybe it’s time you blogged.
The faculty section of the UWC Web site is home to Texas A&M’s
first faculty blog. Called Stand and Deliver, the blog (short for “Web
log”) is a way for the faculty community to discuss teaching writing.
“Having seen W course proposals from departments all across campus, I
know our faculty members have terrific ideas about how to make writing
an integral and engaging part of our undergraduate curriculum,”
explains UWC Executive Director Dr. Valerie M. Balester. “I hope the
blog will be a place for instructors to share their knowledge. I hope
they’ll also write about what puzzles or frustrates them about teaching
writing, because those discussions are often productive.”
The UWC faculty blog is located at http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/blog.
Our logo, etc.
The UWC unveiled a new logo this summer after retiring the “Pencil
Dude” mascot that had served since the UWC opened in 2001. The new logo
is depicted at this site's top.
Additionally, Writing Matters has undergone a minor redesign in this
issue and the logo has been incorporated on the newsletter’s nameplate.
Look for promotional materials bearing the new logo in the coming
months.
Classroom workshops
This fall the UWC has unveiled a program to help both faculty members and students: classroom workshops on writing topics.
Instructors can sign up to have a UWC staff member conduct an in-class
workshop for students on one of several topics, including mastering
components of the writing process, understanding grammar and
punctuation, avoiding plagiarism, and citing and documenting sources.
The UWC also can conduct a peer response session with students as they
help each other improve their drafts of an assignment.
“I’m really pleased that these workshops will bring the UWC services to more students across campus,” Balester says.
That’s not to say that UWC staffers can replace individual instructors when it comes to teaching writing.
“It’s vital that instructors teach students about the expectations for
writing in their discipline,” Balester explains. “Our staff can cover
basic points about grammar or avoiding plagiarism but aren’t subject
matter experts. That’s where the instructors’ expertise comes into
play, in teaching the techniques and formats appropriate to writing
their in disciplines.”
Workshops on additional topics of the instructor’s choice can be
arranged with at least three weeks’ notice. Instructors can also
request a presentation informing students about UWC services via the
UWC Web site.
A redesigned, upgraded Web site
The UWC overhauled its Web site this summer to improve content
delivery, make resources more accessible and enhance the site’s
aesthetics. The new site debuted in early August. Led by Communications
Coordinator Brady Creel with the help of an undergraduate intern, Mark
Wolfe, the project comprised a shift from static HTML pages to a
dynamic content management system.
“My goal was a crisp, clean site that was easy to use,” Creel said. “I
think we were successful, and our migration to Mambo allows us to bring
more people to the content-generation process to build better
resources.”
The new site design also shines a light on UWC services for students:
usage of the Online Writing Lab, which contains myriad handouts about
different writing topics, has risen dramatically. Faculty resources
were reorganized to make materials easier to find, and all approved W
course proposals have been published online.
Services to meet students' needs
The UWC has three new ways to give students greater access to help.
Last spring, the UWC set up an instant messaging (IM) system. Students
can contact the UWC via Yahoo! or AOL instant messaging to ask
questions about their writing. UWC consultants will offer responses to
students’ questions and, when needed, direct students to online
handouts or Web sites for additional information. If they wish, clients
can follow up their IM session with a face-to-face consultation in the
UWC.
The UWC also is taking calls on its Write Line (845-2160). The line is
answered whenever the UWC is open for business. It’s an ideal way for
students to get answers to specific questions, such as grammar or
citation problems.
The UWC also has expanded its hours of service: During fall and spring
semesters, the center is open for appointments from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; and 6 p.m. to 10 p.
m. Sundays. The Sunday night hours seem particularly popular with
students; those appointments book quickly with walk-in sessions also in
demand.
Pedagogy workshops for faculty and graduate students
An ongoingprogram of workshops and lectures on the best practices in
the teaching of writing is an important part of the UWC’s outreach to
faculty members. The topic of this summer’s workshop was "Aiming High:
Using Models of Good Writing to Spur Students to Excellence," and it
proved so popular that a second session had to be added.
This fall the UWC offered—for the first time—a session specifically
aimed at graduate students. The topic was “Grading Student Papers: A
Method to the Madness.” The information presented included a brief
review of grammar and punctuation rules and a practice grading session
to help instructors learn to assess student writing on a variety of
levels.
This spring Mike Palmquist, a professor of English and a University
Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University, will come
to the UWC to discuss the interplay of writing and technology. Keep an
eye on the UWC Web site for further information.
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Tidbits
Blot out, correct, inert, refine,
Enlarge, diminish, interline;
Be mindful, when invention fails,
To scratch your head, and bite your nails.
– Jonathan Swift
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Fall 2005 