Welcome, Teacher-Writers!
Contact information for participants is on the Resources page.
Mission Statement
The WAC Academy seeks to develop a community of instructors of writing. The WAC Academy is open to all instructors at ECU, across all disciplines. During the Academy, participants will have time to read and write, prepare demonstrations of research-based model lessons involving writing, and talk to colleagues about techniques they have used successfully to help their students become better writers and thinkers.
Modeled after the National Writing Project, the WAC Academy maintains these primary goals for its participants:
Along with these primary objectives, the 2018 Academy will also support instructors in the following activities:
After the Academy, participants are encouraged to stay active in WAC by returning to their classrooms and engaging in their own inquiry into teaching and learning, investigating problems they have observed as seasoned instructors who are working to develop solutions that will help them and other instructors. Face-to-face writing group meetings will be scheduled for March and April for opportunities to workshop articles for the WAC newsletter. Participants may also stay connected through other WAC Academy activities, including opportunities to collaborate on professional development activities, workshops, and presentations.
Modeled after the National Writing Project, the WAC Academy maintains these primary goals for its participants:
- Encourage a better understanding of writing processes, assessment issues, methods, and new literacy technologies;
- Develop more effective writing curricula and assignments;
- Improve students’ writing abilities by improving our teaching of writing;
- Provide professional development programs for WI instructors; and
- Expand the role of WI course instructors at ECU.
Along with these primary objectives, the 2018 Academy will also support instructors in the following activities:
- Exploring what ‘Writing Intensive’ means at ECU and ‘academic writing’ means within their discipline and across the curriculum;
- Designing outcomes and objectives for their WI courses;
- Developing assessment tools for those outcomes and objectives; and
- Creating a Curation Project for writing in your discipline and course(s).
After the Academy, participants are encouraged to stay active in WAC by returning to their classrooms and engaging in their own inquiry into teaching and learning, investigating problems they have observed as seasoned instructors who are working to develop solutions that will help them and other instructors. Face-to-face writing group meetings will be scheduled for March and April for opportunities to workshop articles for the WAC newsletter. Participants may also stay connected through other WAC Academy activities, including opportunities to collaborate on professional development activities, workshops, and presentations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the WAC Academy?
A: The WAC Academy is a six-week institute held each spring and sponsored by the University Writing Program. Ten instructors are selected from the pool of applications to meet once a week to discuss topics related to writing instruction, share writing-related teaching strategies used successfully in helping students become better writers and thinkers, and collaborate on demonstrations of inquiry-based projects involving writing.
Q: When does the WAC Academy meet?
A: During the six-week institute, we meet once a week for two hours. Our meeting time/day is determined by the participants' schedules. Applicants include their Spring Semester's schedule when applying, and the director of the Academy determines a time/day that works for all of the participants.
Q: If I am not currently teaching a writing-intensive course, can I still apply?
A: Absolutely! The WAC Academy is open to all ECU instructors.
Q: Why is its slogan "Writers Teaching Writing"?
A: This slogan is a reflection of the transformative method of professional development that the academy strives to achieve with its participants.
Q: What kind of a time commitment does this involve?
A: In addition to the 2 hours that we meet each week, there is usually an article to read and possibly some pre-writing to prepare for discussion. Typically, the prep work should not ever take more than 30 minutes or an hour. With the goal of developing final products that can be shared with other teachers of writing, we will work to construct different aspects during each meeting, but there may be some additional time spent on the product outside of meeting times.
Q: How much experience do I need to have to benefit from this experience?
A: You don't actually need to have any experience teaching writing to benefit from the Academy. Typically, participants have a range of experience teaching writing, from first-year instructors to full professors.
Q: Are there any other perks in being a part of the WAC Academy?
A: In addition to the $500 stipend, participants also leave with a certificate of completion that could be added to your teaching PAD, a copy of John Bean's Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, and a toolkit of strategies and activities for teaching writing for your future use and to share with others. There is also food! Participants are invited to a pre-Academy luncheon, and we provide snacks and drinks for each meeting.
Q: Who is responsible for facilitating the WAC Academy?
A: Kerri Flinchbaugh is the Assistant Director of the University Writing Program and has directed the WAC Academy since 2008. For more information on her work, check out her blog: http://disruptingourselves.weebly.com.
A: The WAC Academy is a six-week institute held each spring and sponsored by the University Writing Program. Ten instructors are selected from the pool of applications to meet once a week to discuss topics related to writing instruction, share writing-related teaching strategies used successfully in helping students become better writers and thinkers, and collaborate on demonstrations of inquiry-based projects involving writing.
Q: When does the WAC Academy meet?
A: During the six-week institute, we meet once a week for two hours. Our meeting time/day is determined by the participants' schedules. Applicants include their Spring Semester's schedule when applying, and the director of the Academy determines a time/day that works for all of the participants.
Q: If I am not currently teaching a writing-intensive course, can I still apply?
A: Absolutely! The WAC Academy is open to all ECU instructors.
Q: Why is its slogan "Writers Teaching Writing"?
A: This slogan is a reflection of the transformative method of professional development that the academy strives to achieve with its participants.
Q: What kind of a time commitment does this involve?
A: In addition to the 2 hours that we meet each week, there is usually an article to read and possibly some pre-writing to prepare for discussion. Typically, the prep work should not ever take more than 30 minutes or an hour. With the goal of developing final products that can be shared with other teachers of writing, we will work to construct different aspects during each meeting, but there may be some additional time spent on the product outside of meeting times.
Q: How much experience do I need to have to benefit from this experience?
A: You don't actually need to have any experience teaching writing to benefit from the Academy. Typically, participants have a range of experience teaching writing, from first-year instructors to full professors.
Q: Are there any other perks in being a part of the WAC Academy?
A: In addition to the $500 stipend, participants also leave with a certificate of completion that could be added to your teaching PAD, a copy of John Bean's Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, and a toolkit of strategies and activities for teaching writing for your future use and to share with others. There is also food! Participants are invited to a pre-Academy luncheon, and we provide snacks and drinks for each meeting.
Q: Who is responsible for facilitating the WAC Academy?
A: Kerri Flinchbaugh is the Assistant Director of the University Writing Program and has directed the WAC Academy since 2008. For more information on her work, check out her blog: http://disruptingourselves.weebly.com.