Wed., Jan. 30

Responding to (and Grading) Student Writing
Kathleen Tonry, Associate Director, University Writing Center   

Responding to student writing is among the most important (and time-consuming) things we do in W courses. In this session we will review some experience-tested ways of responding effectively. We will address how to streamline response by having students do self-assessments, how (and how much) to comment on drafts, and how to get students to take responsibility for their own writing.

Tues., Feb. 19

Ugly Papers: Issues, Ethics, Pedagogy
Lynn Bloom, Aetna Chair of Writing and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor

An ugly paper sends stroboscopic flashes from the stack of student writings in screaming red neon. Ugly papers transgress individual and community moral and ethical standards and breach aesthetic conventions. This discussion, prompted by the April 16, 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech committed by a creative writing student, will explore the faculty dilemma-pedagogical and ethical--and will offer suggestions for how to treat ugly student papers and their authors, in and out of class.

Thurs., Feb. 28

First You Have to Admit You Have a Problem: Science Writing In and Out of the Classroom
Margaret Rubega, Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

In this workshop we’ll discuss the perils and challenges of writing encountered by scientists, with particular attention to the gap between the style of writing we do for other scientists, and the way that non-scientists (including students) read.

Tues., March 4

Encouraging Citation, Discouraging Plagiarism
Kim Chambers, Director of Educational Technologies
Kathleen Tonry, Associate Director, University Writing Center

This workshop will suggest strategies that encourage students to integrate and cite sources. We will also provide an overview of UConn’s online plagiarism education module, and address related questions around teaching scholarly standards for research and the integration of outside sources.

Mon., Apr. 28

Looking Ahead: Designing Your Next W Course
Kathleen Tonry, Associate Director, University Writing Center   

This workshop addresses several questions: How do most people integrate content coverage and writing instruction? What works best when sequencing writing assignments? How can we build in robust but still manageable revising processes? And, of course, we’ll discuss any questions you have about W course design and teaching.