Summer 2020 Virtual Events: 07/27 & 08/13

Dear Colleagues,

We hope that his email finds you and your families well.

In light of the ongoing uncertainty about what the fall may bring for colleges and universities in the region, the Philadelphia Council of Writing Program Administrators (PWPA) is offering two virtual events to support regional writing programs as we prepare our faculty members for the fall semester. 

We know that PWPA is a long-time space for community among writing program folks in the Philadelphia area.  Since we could not meet in the spring, we’ve set up two programs for the summer. The atmosphere is always congenial. We hope you’ll join us!

Please save the dates for the following two virtual workshops:

For WPAs:

Monday, July 27, 2020 10AM-12PM: “Supporting Online Writing Program Administration” with Scott Warnock (Drexel University).

For those of us who direct programs: how are we doing? Here is a space to have that conversation.

Dr. Warnock will host a workshop for writing program administrators and department chairs on best practices for leading an online writing program. This workshop will be useful for WPAs and Chairs who have been tasked with leading ad hoc online or hybrid writing programs in the fall.

Please sign up by Thursday, July 23, 2020 by using this online form:  https://forms.gle/FAFcvBEUb1APGvJp8

All attendees will receive a calendar invite and Zoom link on Friday, July 24. 
Questions about this event can be directed to Gabe Cutrufello at [email protected].

For Writing Program Faculty:

Thursday, August 13, 2020 10AM-12PM: “Teaching Writing Online” with Jessie Borgman (Arizona State University) and Casey McArdle (Michigan State University)

For those of us teaching writing: here’s a chance to talk to colleagues and learn from two who are experts on teaching writing online. And to share our own responses to the uncertainty of our present times.

Borgman and McArdle will discuss the PARS approach to online writing instruction, their co-created website, The Online Writing Instructors Community (www.owicommunity.org), and their recently published book, Personal, Accessible, Responsive, Strategic: Resources and Strategies for Online Writing Instructors. They will offer several quick and easy strategies that online writing instructors can incorporate into their classes to facilitate a better user experience for both faculty and students.

We ask that everyone sign up by August 10, 2020: https://forms.gle/Ky93Vub6DXc9ocAbA

Non-members info

If you are not a member of PWPA, we invite you to check out our website at https://phillywpa.com/

The Philadelphia Council of Writing Program Administrators advocates best practices in writing programs for all post-secondary institutions in our region. A nonprofit, professional organization, we support research in our field; collaborate for professional development; and champion labor equity for composition practitioners of every rank, and status, and area of responsibility. We bring our mutual strength to advance literacy for our communities, for our institutions, and for our students.

We host an active listerv where regional WPAs can post job openings as well as ask questions pertaining to writing programs. 

To subscribe to the PWPA Listserv:

1. Compose a new email that contains this message: SUBSCRIBE PHILAWPA Firstname Lastname

2. Leave the subject line blank.

3. Address the email to: [email protected]

You will receive a series of messages with simple instructions to follow.

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