Webinar Invitation: Transitioning Your Writing Center Online

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Posted on March 21, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Editor’s Note: We are sharing this message from Dr. Lisa Cahill of Arizona State University. Please consider attending this webinar. We would also like to thank Dr. Cahill and the Arizona State University Writing Center for hosting this free webinar.

Greetings!

As many of us have recently moved our writing center operations to online formats (or are currently in the process of doing so), I’m writing to share information about a free webinar being offered on two different dates: Sunday, March 22 (2-3 pm, Arizona time) and Monday, March 23 (12-1 pm, Arizona time) by Arizona State University.

Webinar Description:

The Arizona State University Writing Center is hosting a free webinar to share how it has operationalized the transition to a fully digital delivery model. Continue reading →

How’re you doing?

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Posted on March 18, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

CWCAB friends,

We are in uncertain times. Some of us are having to move our centers completely online for the first time while others of us might have to close for a while.

Come what may, we are a strong, helpful, and encouraging community. Let’s come together and support each other.

In the Comments box below, let us know how your center is adapting to the present situation? Have you had to move your tutoring completely online? If so, what platforms are you using? How are you working out schedules, tech issues etc? What questions do you have as you adapt?

Are there any tips you have found helpful and could share with the rest of our community?

Please post your comments below or write to us at writinglabnewsletterblog@gmail.com and we will gladly share your thoughts here.

But before we go, here’s a little something out of Italy to cheer us all up and remind us of the power of creativity in resilience!

It’s here! WLN’s 2nd Digital Edited Collection discusses transfer of learning in the writing center

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Posted on February 19, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Editor’s Note: Dr. Bonnie Devet, Professor of English and Director of the Writing Lab at the College of Charleston, contributed this piece.

It’s finally here! The Digital Edited Collection (D.E.C) Transfer of Learning in the Writing Center (Eds. Bonnie Devet and Dana Driscoll; Design Editor, Jialei Jiang) was just released! It’s the second D.E.C from WLN: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship, and it offers tutors and directors new perspectives into how knowledge is “cued, primed, and guided” (Perkins and Salomon, 1989); that is, how both tutors and their student writers engage in the transfer of learning.

To access the DEC, click this link. The DEC includes videos, graphics, teaching materials, and research data and is accessible to our colleagues around the world. Continue reading →

Registration is now open for the IWCA Summer Institute in Santa Fe, NM

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Posted on February 17, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Registration is now open for the IWCA Summer Institute! The 2020 IWCA Summer Institute will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico from Sunday, June 14th through Friday, June 19th.

To register, log in to the IWCAmembers.org portal, or if you have never created an account, create a new account and then register. Registration is $900. The deadline to register is April 1st, 2020.

Limited grants (up to ½ the registration cost) are available to help support attendees. At least one grant is reserved for a person of color/member of a historically marginalized group. Please apply by March 15th, 2020 to be considered for a grant.

Find out more about the Institute by clicking on this link.

Rewind & Reset: Lisa Ede’s “Research on Writing Centers: Some Essential Studies”

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Posted on February 8, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Editor’s note: Every so often, we look through our blog archives to find posts that have a way of centering us as writing center practitioners.

This week, Lisa Ede’s 2016 post “Research on Writing Centers: Some Essential Studies” stood out. Ede provides a comprehensive list of scholars and trends in the writing center research. As we embark on a new year, this list reminds us of our field’s evolution and offers helpful sources to consider for those of us involved in writing-center related research, tutor-training initiatives or starting or expanding our writing centers.

What other publications could you add to this list? What sources have been most valuable to you as you integrate writing center practices and pedagogies in your own local contexts outside of the North American one. Let us know in the comments. Enjoy!

Click on this link to read Ede’s post.

Call for Proposals | AWAC-Sponsored Panel, European Writing Centers Association Conference

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Posted on January 14, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

The International Collaborations Committee of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum (https://www.wacassociation.org/) is issuing a call for proposals for an AWAC-sponsored panel at the European Writing Centers Association conference to take place in Graz, Austria, from July 8-11, 2020. Please see the EWCA conference website for more details and information about the overall conference theme, “Writing Centers as Spaces of Empowerment”: https://europeanwritingcenters-2020.uni-graz.at/en/

Please submit proposals as attached Word files via email, with the subject line “AWAC-Sponsored Panel EWCA 2020,” NO LATER THAN JAN. 25, 2020, to:

Chris Anson: chris_anson@ncsu.edu
Federico Navarro: navarro@uoh.cl

Continue reading →

CFP | Deadline extended for EWCA 2020 conference proposals

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Posted on January 7, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Universität, Gebäude, Wiese, Bäume, Campusleben

Dear EWCA members, dear friends of writing, writing centres and writing pedagogy,

We wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year 2020! We are looking very much forward to the EWCA Conference this summer and we would kindly like to remind you that the deadline for submissions is approaching (January 6, 2020). For all those who come back from their winter holydays only next week there will be an extended deadline till February 3, 2020. Continue reading →

Welcome to 2020! A Message from Your CWCAB Editors

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Posted on January 6, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Anna Habib, Editor, CWCAB, WLN Blog

Esther Namubiru, Associate Editor, CWCAB, WLN Blog

Happy New Year to our writing center friends and colleagues around the world!

As we enter the new year and a new semester, we wanted to take this opportunity to formally introduce ourselves as the new editors of Connecting Writing Centers across Borders, a blog of the Writing Lab Newsletter: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship. As many of you know from the announcement on the wcenter listserv last Fall, Brian Hotson stepped down as the Editor in the beginning of the Fall semester to work on a book project and launch a digital writing project journal. I served as his Associate Editor for a semester and was honored that he asked me to step in as the Editor. I have since invited Esther Namubiru to join me as Associate Editor. Continue reading →

2020 is almost here! See how far we’ve come: Accomplishments in WCs & the Field

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Posted on December 17, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

As we get ready for a new year, we want to pause and reflect on how far we have come as tutors, writers, writing center administrators, and scholars.

What are some of your writing center-related successes (big or small) over the last ten years that we can all celebrate?
What trends, ideas, and connections have you explored in your corner of the world to move our writing center community forward?

We would love to hear from you. Tell us your thoughts in the Comments box below and let’s reflect and celebrate together!

And, most importantly…..

Writing Center Spotlight: The Haigazian University Writing Center (Lebanon)

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Editor’s note: We’re spotlighting writing centers around the world! This week, Anita Moutchoyan shared about the Haigazian University Writing Center in Lebanon which she directs. You can learn more about the center by visiting its Instagram page: HU-Writing Center or its Facebook page: Writing Center – Haigazian University.

Poetry Workshop at Haigazian University Writing Center

The Haigazian University Writing Center is affiliated with Haigazian University which was established as a liberal arts institution in 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon. The university is inspired by the Armenian Evangelical heritage and operates on the United States model of higher education, using English as the language of instruction while offering courses in Arabic and Armenian. The university offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and Master of Business Administration degrees.

Continue reading →

Announcement: TESOL Arabia Conference & Exhibition Postponed

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

The TESOL Arabia Conference and Exhibition LLC has been postponed. See the message below from the Middle East and North Africa Writing Center Association.

Dear All,
In light of recent developments regarding travel restrictions around the world and in the Gulf region due the Covid-19 Corona virus, TESOL Arabia Conference and Exhibitions, LLC, regrets the postponement of the 25^th International TESOL Arabia Conference and Exhibition until September 25-27, 2020, at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grant Canal.

For information regarding reimbursement of conference fees if you are unable to attend the event in September, please contact info@tesol-arabia.org We are very sorry for any inconvenience and deeply regret the postponement of the conference.

Do you have any changes to your conference on account of Covid-19? Feel free to share here.

Rewind & Reset: A Conversation with Ben Rafoth

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Editor’s note: With technology rapidly shifting how we write and read, we at CWCAB are thinking about what different digital innovations mean for the writing center’s work and its relevance in the academy. That’s why, for this week’s Rewind & Reset, we are sharing a portion of a conversation between CWCAB’s former editor Josh Ambrose and Ben Rafoth that took place in August 2015. In this part of their conversation, Rafoth suggests innovations that might defy some of our long-held beliefs about tutoring but could still help us stay relevant.

Ben Rafoth

Ben Rafoth is a leading scholar and author in the field of writing centers and writing studies. Ben is Emeritus Director of the Kathleen Jones White Writing Center at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. During the time of this interview, he shared with Josh Ambrose, our first WLN blog editor, that “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had great teachers and awesome students, and the hundreds of tutors I’ve been fortunate to work with in my writing center at IUP have made all the difference.” He teaches graduate courses in the Composition and TESOL program at IUP, and has served as its director. In 2010, Ben was named IUP’s Distinguished University Professor, a lifetime title and the highest award for faculty at IUP.

Continue reading →

Meet the authors of WLN’s newly released D.E.C. on transfer in the writing center

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

D.E.C. Editors, Dana Lynn Driscoll, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, & Bonnie Devet, College of Charleston

Dr. Bonnie Devet contributed this piece. In her previous blog post, she provided an overview of the newly released Digital Edited Collection, Transfer of Learning in the Writing Center, which she co-edited with Dr. Dana L. Driscoll and with Design Editor, Jialei Jiang. Here, Dr. Devet introduces us to the authors of the collection and their inspirations for researching/studying transfer in the writing center.

The authors of WLN’s second Digital Edited Collection, Transfer of Learning in the Writing Center, can attest that different sources inspire their scholarship: from faculty comments, being a tutor in a center, conference presentations, and research. In this Digital Edited Collection, they examine the history of transfer in shaping centers, provide detailed scenarios about transfer occurring in tutorials and conclude by moving beyond the center showing that tutors’ skills transfer into careers.

Why do the D.E.C. authors think transfer of learning is vital to centers and how did they become interested in transfer?

Marcus Meade, University of Virginia

Marcus Meade discovered his interest in transfer from assisting student-athletes: “I had conversations with them about what they learned in athletics that might help them as writers and students. That started a long project related to transfer and writing instruction that, in part, focused on how wc work differs from the writing classroom in the conditions that might foster transfer.”

Continue reading →

CFP | EWCA Conference 2020 | Abstracts due January 6th

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Lawr57

Universität, Gebäude, Wiese, Bäume, Campusleben

Dear followers of WLN and CWCAB:

The EWCA board are pleased to inform you that you can now submit abstracts for the EWCA Conference 2020, Writing Centers as Spaces of Empowerment (University of Graz, Austria, July 8 – 11, 2020).

The submission of abstracts requires two steps: First, you create an account by providing your name, address, institutional affiliation, etc. Then you enter the details of your abstract for the EWCA Conference 2020 (item “Your submissions”).

In order to carry out these operations please use the following link:

https://www.conftool.com/ewca2020/.

For further information about the conference theme and its subtopics as well as for the submission formats, please refer to the Call for Papers attached to this email.

Please note that the deadline for submissions is January 6, 2020.

After the submission period the review process will start. You will be informed about your acceptance status by the beginning of February.

Nota bene: The registration for the conference will be possible at a later stage. You will be informed by email.

We look very much forward to your inspiring contributions. If you wish to view the call for papers, the link can be found here:

http://europeanwritingcenters.eu/conference.html

Kind regards,

the EWCA Board

CFP ||2020 East Central Writing Center Association Conference

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Marian University, Indianapolis IN

The Marian University Writing Center will host the 42nd East Central Writing Center Association (ECWCA) Conference on March 5 – 7, 2020 at Marian University (Indianapolis, IN).

The theme of the 2020 conference is “Critical Literacies, Humanizing Connections”. Attendees can expect to discuss “how writing centers might more fully embrace their ability to encourage humanizing experiences as part of the ongoing investigation of power, privilege, and identity” (ECWCA Call for Proposals. )

Submit proposals by Dec. 31st, 2019 using the link on the conference website.

CFP || 2020 IWCA Collaborative

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Milwaukee, WI: Location for 2020 IWCA Collaborative

The deadline to submit proposals for the 2020 IWCA Collaborative has been extended to December 15th 2019. The theme of the collaborative is “Contact Zones in Writing Center Work”. For a list of topics related to the theme, please click ‘here.’

The collaborative will be on March 25th in Milwaukee, WI. Are you planning to attend? Let us know in the comment box below.

Do you have more CFPs to share? Please email writinglabnewsletterblog@gmail.com. Want your CFP alerts sent directly to your inbox? Please subscribe to our blog!

CFP || Join the Twelfth Symposium on Writing Centers in Asia

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Osaka University, Suita Campus – the venue for the 12th Symposium on Writing Centers in Asia.

The Writing Centers Association of Japan is now accepting proposals for its twelfth Symposium on Writing Centers in Asia. The theme for this year’s symposium is “Opportunities and Challenges for Writing and Writing Centers.” This symposium addresses “the role of writing centers in Asian educational institutions as well as the researching, teaching, and learning of writing.”

The Plenary Speaker will be Judy Noguchi (Kobe Gakuin University) presenting “Thoughts on Professional Writing for Mid 21st Century: ESL, DDL, and STEAM”. For more information, please visit “Writing Center Associations of Japan” or click here to download the symposium flyer.

To submit a proposal, click here. To register for the symposium, click here.

Deadline for submitting proposals: January 10, 2010

Symposium date: Sunday February 23, 2020 at Osaka University.

“Writing Centers at Schools”: An Initiative by the Lebanese American University Writing Center

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Newly established High School Writing Center

In this interview with Dr. Amy Hodges (President of the Middle East North Africa Writing Center Alliance), Dr. Paula Abboud Habre and Hala Daouk of the Lebanese American University Writing Center talk about their center’s initiative to grow writing centers across high schools in Lebanon. The interview took place following MENAWCA’s April 2019 conference in Beirut, Lebanon

Continue reading →

WLN’s 4th webinar| “Writing a Tutor’s Column: From Submitting to Revising” available for streaming!

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

WLN’s fourth webinar, “Writing a Tutor’s Column: From Submitting to Revising,” is now available for streaming! Please click here to view the recording.

This webinar covers WLN expectations for Tutor’s Column submissions, and how to research, structure, and revise an article.

To access the June Webinar, “Finding Ideas for Scholarship in Everyday Writing Center Work,” please click here. Representation at the June webinar included a range of participants from community colleges, SLACs, and larger universities across the U.S. and from a number of international countries/cities including Germany, Canada, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Bogota, Liverpool, and Sao Paulo.

For access to all three of the previous webinars, you can visit the WLN Journals’ Digital Resources page.

“The Art of it All:” Thoughts from IWCA 2019 Conference Presenters from Brazil

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Anna Habib and Esther Namubiru

Members of our Writing Center community in Brazil, Thais Cons, Camila Rezende, Janice Nodari, Daniel Persia and others are running the first Writing Center in Brazil, which opened its doors three years ago at Universidade Federal do Paraná (Federal University of Paraná). They will be presenting at this year’s IWCA conference. In this post, they share their thoughts regarding this year’s conference theme as it relates to writing center work internationally. Continue reading →

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