Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Convention Center, Terrace Ballroom 3 Area 1 Graduate Student Writing Workshops: Building Confidence and Competence Through Collaboration and Community Dr. Karyn E. Rabourn, Grand Valley State University Chelse Hawkins, Grand Valley State University Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Convention Center, Terrace Ballroom 3 Area 1 Introductions of presenters and description of their interest in topic

Presentation Overview Introductions & Pair Share Desired Learning Outcomes Current Research on Graduate Writing Workshops Discussion of GVSU Graduate Writing Workshops Discussion of Graduate Writing Workshops at Your Institution Questions & Answer

Introductions & Pair Share Introduce Yourself! Name, Institution, Position Pair Share With a partner near you, please share: What brings you to this session? What do you hope to gain from this session?

Desired Learning Outcomes Participants will be able to discuss graduate student needs for improving writing skills to meet academic expectations. Participants will be able to generate resources on participant campuses that could play integral roles in fostering development of graduate student writing skills. Participants will review presenters’ approaches to creating collaborative writing workshop series Participants will brainstorm opportunities, obstacles, and strategies to facilitate similar writing workshops on participant campuses.

Why develop the Graduate Writing Workshop at Grand Valley State University?

Current Research on Graduate Writing Workshops The majority of higher education academic and social support programs focus on the undergraduate student population (Ondrusek, 2012). Writing workshops can create a sense of community and collaboration for graduate students (Burgoine, Hopkins, Rech, & Zapata, 2011). Student transitions to college or university life, specifically increased academic rigor, can be challenging. Higher education institutions often offer academic and social support programs to facilitate student success, however, the majority of these support programs focus on the undergraduate student population (Ondrusek, 2012). A common assumption is that students entering graduate programs already possess and demonstrate the skills necessary to succeed academically, especially with regard to graduate-level writing ability. Given differences among writing conventions, guidelines across academic disciplines, and variance among writing requirements of curriculum across undergraduate institutions, it is likely that graduate student writing skills vary greatly. As a result, students who meet the necessary prerequisites for admission may also lack the writing skills essential for success. Writing workshops can offer graduate students an opportunity to develop writing skills in a collaborative learning community that may foster increased confidence with the writing and revision process, thus increasing chances of academic success within graduate coursework. Further, they can help to create a sense of community between peers (Burgoine, Hopkins, Rech, & Zapata, 2011).

Discussion of GVSU Graduate Writing Workshops Program Outline: Four Workshop sessions, two per semester Each session lasts 4-5 hours Implementation Strategies: Focal topics for each session (Semester Planning, Peer Revision, Literature Reviews, Project & Thesis) Collaboration with on-campus departments (Writing Center, College of Education) Observations: Sessions create accountability for students Create an environment of support and collegiality Challenges & Responses: Finding work spaces that are conducive to different study strategies Limiting chattiness The primary goal of the M.Ed. in Higher Education Writing Workshop Series at Grand State University (GVSU) is to help students build confidence and improve writing skills by providing dedicated space for students to write collaboratively with a focus on the processes and practices of academic writing. Each workshop includes information-based presentations, interactive activities, writing time for individuals and small groups, and opportunities for peer-to-peer and faculty-student feedback. The informal curricular space encourages graduate students to view academic writing not simply as an individual act, but rather as a process that can be improved through self-reflection, peer review and constructive critique. Ultimately, the series hopes to increase student confidence and motivation to participate in an open and evolving writing process throughout their graduate education. Attendance towards the end of the year is a challenge I am seeing.

Discussion of Graduate Writing Workshops at Your Institution What resources for writing are available for students at your institutions? Specifically for graduate students? How could graduate students at your institution benefit from a Writing Workshop series? What is the campus culture surrounding academic writing at your institution? One of collaboration or is it seen as an individual activity? What challenges do you predict may occur when implementing a Writing Workshop series at your institution?

Questions?

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