Request for Assigned Writing Advisors_Fall21 and send to Melissa Pavlik at mpavlik@tif2005.com or via campus mail to the Writing Center, Box 38.

Please note that Cornerstone and WRIT 1000 classes are the top priority for assigned WAs. WR classes are the next priority, then WI classes. Because many of the Cornerstone sections run in the fall, fewer WAs are available for other classes. The supply for WR/WI classes is greater in the spring, though there may be some WAs available in the fall semester, depending on the number of Cornerstone/WI sections being offered and the number of WAs available. We’ve been able to cover requests for spring WR and WI classes, plus some other classes in which a heavy load of writing is a part of the teaching/learning strategy.

Would you like a WA or Writing Center staff member to visit your class and give a brief introduction to our services? Look for an email at the start of each term inviting you to receive a visit, and we’ll coordinate our visit to suit your schedule and needs. You can also request a visit at any time. Contact the Writing Center to schedule a visit.

Class visits will likely be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams, but we may be able to conduct a limited number of in-person class visits as safety permits.

The underlying assumptions for this faculty development seminar are that all disciplines want students to think well and that the process of writing can be an effective starting point for thinking: ergo, writing can be a useful teaching method, if our goal is to induce students to think. That’s all fine and good, of course, but how do we effectively incorporate writing into our teaching?  This seminar is designed to work at responding to that question. We’ll do some background reading in and discussion of general pedagogy and writing pedagogy, but we’ll also do some hands-on work using our own syllabi/syllabuses and writing assignments and North Park student essays. This is a wonderful opportunity for sustained, in-depth conversation with colleagues from across the whole array of disciplines and for strategizing teaching plans for next year. Participants receive a modest stipend, and all books and copies are made available to you gratis. Contact Melissa Pavlik for further information.

The Writing Center reviews writing prompts for faculty who would appreciate (anonymous) student feedback on writing assignments before assigning them in their classes. Faculty send their assignment to Melissa Pavlik, who removes identifying features, and then circulates the assignment to seasoned WAs. The WAs review the assignments, write up their observations, and send comments back to Melissa. She removes identifying features from the comments and returns the commentary to the faculty member. Those who made use of this service in the past a) thought that their assignments were probably already in pretty good shape, and b) found the feedback useful anyway. Please allow at least two days’ lead-time.

• Faculty and Writing at North Park University: Carol Martin, director emeritus of the Writing Center, explains the approach to writing, both using and teaching it, in the academic life at the University.
• African American Vernacular English (AAVE): AAVE, otherwise known as Ebonics, is explained as an entirely new dialect, not just improper English.
• Conferencing in the Writing Center: The benefits and process of Writing Center conferences in student work.
• Suggestions for Dealing with Writing Assignments: Eight suggestions for helping students be successful in their written work.
• Formal and Informal Composition: How and when to use informal composition in the learning process.
• English Grammar and Linguistics: An explanation of Standard American English.
• Grammar Slippages: The six most common grammar mistakes in student written work.

Browse our collection of PowerPoint presentations for examples of effective PowerPoint design and tools for in-class writing instruction.

Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• Salvation Army PowerPoint: An example of an effective PowerPoint
• See What I Mean?: This PowerPoint explains and exemplifies ways to create good PowerPoints and avoid pitfalls.

Writing Instruction/Pedagogy Presentations

• Integrating Sources PowerPoint: Help students learn when and how to incorporate sources.
• Collaborative Learning: In this PowerPoint, Writing Advisors reflect on their own experiences with collaborative learning.

For her classic journal article “Responding to Student Writing,” Nancy Sommers studied instructor feedback and found that commentary on student papers was not specific to each student’s essay and could be “rubber-stamped” from one essay to the next. In contrast, here are some examples of responses from our Writing Advisors that give students’ work a fair and thorough reading on its own terms and that respond with feedback designed to generate new, deeper ideas. These are not intended to be entirely exemplary—there is way more commentary here than one instructor could possibly be expected to give. These are meant to give examples of the kinds of comments you could make… not an example of how many you should make!

• Reflections on the Atlantic Shore
• The Folly of Self Help
• Virtuous Franklin
• Underneath the Surface, into the Whole
• The Good Life at a Great Price
• Culture Capsule: Romania
• So You’re Going to Live in Sudan, eh?
• Augustine and Lamott Essay III