The Thompson Writing Program‘s Writing in the Disciplines program has announced their schedule of Spring 2020 workshops for Duke faculty. For more information about the workshops or Writing in the Disciplines, contact Cary Moskovitz.
Crafting Effective Writing Assignments
Wed, Jan 15, 4-5:30pm in Soc/Pysch 329 (West Campus) – Register
How you articulate a writing task can have a large impact on what your students do and what they learn. Topics for this session include setting expectations, selecting an appropriate form and audience for student writing, helping students identify a meaningful and manageable writing project.
Grading Student Writing
Mon, Feb 3, 10:30-12 in Classroom Building (Formerly Carr Hall) room 125 (East Campus) – Register
Grading student writing can be a frustrating and time-consuming affair. This session offers advice on approaches to grading and designing context-appropriate guidelines and rubrics.
Giving Efficient and Effective Feedback
Mon, Feb 17, 10:30-12 in Classroom Building (Formerly Carr Hall) room 125 (East Campus) – Register
Strategies for giving effective and efficient feedback on student writing.
Helping Students Write Well-Structured Papers
Wed, March 4, 4-5:30pm in Soc/Psych 329 (West Campus) – Register
Many of our student writers struggle to organize their ideas and express them in a coherently structured way. Participants in this workshop will learn (and practice) approaches to helping students review and revise their writing to improve organization and make it easier for readers to see the logical relationships between the parts of their papers.
Assigning Oral Presentations
Wed, March 18, 3:30-5 in Friedl 225 (East Campus) – Register
Oral presentations can be a meaningful and valuable part of a course, and many students need practice to develop their public speaking skills. Yet students may have misguided ideas about what makes for an effective presentation. This workshop addresses issues such as articulating the presentation task, setting expectations, using models, and helping students prepare appropriately.
Crafting the Writing Process
Mon, March 30, 10:30-12 in Classroom Building (Formerly Carr Hall) room 125 (East Campus) – Register
Left to their own devices, students will often wait until a writing assignment is nearly due—cheating themselves out of much the learning the assignment was designed to support. This session explores a range of options for staging the writing process in ways that can maximize learning, without overburdening the instructor.
Helping STEM Students Learn to Write about Visuals
Fri, April 24, 12-1:15 in Soc/Psych 329 (West Campus). Lunch will be served. – Register
Students often struggle to write about figures, tables, and diagrams effectively. This session presents an approach to helping STEM students write about visual elements using simple yet powerful concepts.