Faculty encouraged to register for free virtual writing workshop

The Center for Writing Excellence and the Department of English and World Languages will partner to host a faculty writing workshop, “Strategies for Designing Effective Writing Assignments and Assessments,” at 2:30 p.m. April 12. The event is free and will take place online.

During this workshop, faculty from all disciplines will learn strategies for effective, equitable writing assignment design and evaluation. Faculty frequently report that students underperform in academic writing, so the workshop will discuss ways to design writing assignment prompts and rubrics that set students up for success and focus on their growth.

Faculty are encouraged to bring any prompts and rubrics they would like to improve to the workshop, as presenters will provide time for group discussion and brainstorming.

Augusta University faculty members Dr. Candis Bond, associate professor of English and director of the Center for Writing Excellence, and Dr. Trent Kays, director of college composition and assistant professor of English, will serve as the workshop’s presenters.

“Writing is a great way to help students learn content and become socialized as writers in their respective disciplines, but many faculty hesitate to assign writing because they feel they don’t have the time to grade this kind of work,” said Bond. “This workshop will offer streamlined tips for writing assessment so faculty can comment more efficiently.”

Kays, a professional writing expert, knows that developing students’ writing proficiency sets them up for success regardless of their career aspirations.

“Writing is critical to every field of study and to student success both inside and outside the university environment,” said Kays. “At Augusta University, we should strive for a constructive culture of writing, and this workshop will help faculty across disciplines consider how to design and refine writing assignments to fit their specific pedagogical contexts and contribute to that culture of writing.”

Additionally, according to Bond, the workshop will help faculty think about writing assignments through the lens of student learning objectives and benchmarks students should meet by the end of the course. By integrating writing fully into course design, faculty can give students opportunities to think critically about course content while also working toward specific learning objectives.

“This workshop will provide concrete ways to improve writing assignments and writing assessment. Every attendee will walk away with practical applications they can use in their courses, regardless of their academic discipline or the types of students they teach,” said Bond.

“These tips will be useful if you’re teaching introductory biology or graduate courses in public administration — everyone can benefit.”

Faculty should email Drs. Bond or Kays to register for the workshop.