Writing Instruction for TAs (WIT) Program

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When approached by a department at Queen's University concerned with both undergraduate and graduate writing, I proposed a modified version of the WIT program currently run with great success in over 20 departments at the University of Toronto (MacDonald, Procter, & Williams, 2016). The program values disciplinary writing and aims to foster a culture in which teaching writing is every educator’s business. Based in current writing pedagogy theory, the approach to improving undergraduate writing includes explicit instruction, scaffolded assignments with formative feedback opportunities, and training for teaching assistant graders. To build capacity and ensure a disciplinary focus, a departmental Lead Writing TA provides the primary support to instructors and TAs, prepared for this role by the WIT Coordinator.

 

Beyond general project management and collaboration with the Undergraduate Chair in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, my multifaceted role as WIT Coordinator included:

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Program Design and Evaluation

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• Consulting with WIT Director Dr. Andrea Williams (University of Toronto) and collaborating with the Queen’s Writing Centre to adapt a large program to a specific context

• Conducting a needs analysis based on a survey to students, TAs, and faculty to identify areas of concern in student writing, discrepancies between student and instructor perceptions of student writing abilities, and the variety of writing skills needed in this multidisciplinary department

• Evaluating the program using 2-pronged approach (data analysis currently underway)

  • Feedback from all participants about their experiences with the program

  • Assessment of one course through pre- and post-surveys about writing self-efficacy and comparative analysis of short writing samples collected early and late in the term

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Mentoring the Lead Writing TA

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• Designing and leading a directed reading course with an upper-year PhD Candidate, providing a basis in writing pedagogy theory and plenty of application practice reviewing sample syllabi to generate feedback, working through scenarios, and developing resources

• Providing feedback on TA workshop lesson plans and comments provided on course assignments

• Responding to regular reports and providing ongoing advice about running benchmarking sessions with TAs, generating “buy-in” from TAs and course instructors, and resolving issues as they arise

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Supporting WIT Course Instructors

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• Discussing degree writing outcomes as a group and advising on curriculum decisions to address gaps in the curriculum

• Consulting with individual faculty members as they redesign courses to be more writing intensive

• Guiding one faculty member in creating active learning writing activities to teach necessary skills

Dr. Stevenson Fergus has written a letter about our work together

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Mentoring a Master's Student Intern

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• Supervising an English Literature MA student who performed data analysis in a 50-hour internship

• Introducing her to educational development work as she assisted me with classroom observations of the Lead Writing TA’s workshops

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