Working with a WAC Fellow

• Who is a CUNY WAC Fellow? WAC/ WID at CUNY began in 1999, and Writing Fellows programs were established in almost all the campuses, which trains CUNY doctoral students to support efforts to improve writing at the campuses (For links to all these programs here). Annually, six Writing Fellows are assigned to each of the undergraduate campuses (except for the Guttman Community College which is assigned one Fellow); two are assigned to the CUNY School for Professional Studies; and three to the CUNY Law School.
• What does a WAC Fellow do? WAC Fellows carry out a number of duties with the overarching goal of helping faculty to integrate writing as a tool for learning across the curriculum. For the job descriptions of WAC Fellows at different CUNY campuses, see here.

Teaching Strategies

• The Case for Fully Guided Instruction 2012 (pdf):  An article that argues (from scientific research) against pedagogical models of open- or self-discovery in favor of more top-down models (uploaded by Jonah Westerman).
• Five Easy Group Structures 2011 (doc): A handout offering strategies for incorporating cooperative learning into the classroom. This was developed as part of a CETL (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) Workshop on “Designing Successful Group Work,” led by Janice Capuana and the WAC Fellows at York College (uploaded by Elizabeth Alsop).
• Piaget-Development and Learning 1992 (pdf): This article discusses the important distinction between the psychological processes of learning and development, a distinction which has an impact on how teachers should interact with students (uploaded by Rifat A. Salam).

Reading Strategies

• Reading Electronic Texts 2011 (ppt): York WAC Fellows made this PowerPoint as part of our CETL (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) presentation on “Teaching Strategies for Reading Electronic Texts” (uploaded by Ashley Williard).
• Hoy-Healing Conceptual Blindness 2009 (pdf): This is an interesting work touching on the conceptual challenges students demonstrate in their understanding of course reading, especially as it relates to student’s use of evidence from readings in their own essay writing.  Does not necessarily apply to all fields but the insights may be helpful in developing strategies (uploaded by Rifat A. Salam).
• Horning-Reading Across the Curriculum 2007 (pdf): This article offers strategies for promoting critical literacy across the curriculum (uploaded by Rifat A. Salam).
• Teaching Strategies for Reading Electronic Texts (docx): Document contains slides from a PowerPoint presentation created by the WAC Fellows at York College for a CETL workshop on “Teaching Strategies for Reading Electronic Texts” (uploaded by Ashley Williard).
• Key Features of Complex Texts (docx): A list of key features of complex academic texts (uploaded by Rifat A. Salam).
• Strategies to Help Students Respond to Academic Texts (pdf): A two-page handout developed by Fellows at Lehman College to help faculty members guide the students through academic texts. (uploaded by Zhanna Kushmakova)
• Reading with Pen in Hand Activities (pdf): This handout is developed for a BMCC/Lehman WAC workshop with a list of various “reading with pen in hand” activities and strategies to help students understand and engage with course readings (uploaded by Zhanna Kushmakova).

Developing Syllabi and Assignments

High- and Low-Stakes Writing

• High Stakes and Low Stakes in Assigning and Responding to Writing, by Peter Elbow 1997 (pdf): This article argues that we will have an easier and more productive time with student writing if we make a distinction between high stakes and low stakes assignments and also between high stakes and low stakes ways of responding to student writing (uploaded by Zhanna Kushmakova).
• Informal Low-Stakes Writing (doc): Generated by Fellows at a workshop at City College, this is a list of 100 informal low-stakes writing assignments that can be used in all disciplines after proper editing (uploaded by Zhanna Kushmakova).
• Low-Stakes Writing Activities & Digital Platforms (2020): Developed by a York College Writing Fellow, this site features pedagogical foundations and practical approaches to informal, exploratory writing activities that can be implemented in a WI class via the support of digital platform (uploaded by E. Singer).

Scaffolding Assignments

• Assignment Scaffolding (& Strategies for Assigning Composition) (docx): This brochure made by City College Fellows talks about 5 Useful Methods for Assigning Writing projects and other resources (uploaded by Zhanna Kushmakova)
• Developing and Scaffolding Assignments (docx): This document contains slides from a PowerPoint presentation by WAC program at CCNY about developing and giving scaffolding assignments on assignment development (uploaded by Craig Levinsky).
• Assignment Scaffolding Facilitator Materials (docx): This document is for a fellow training workshop on the topic of scaffolding assignments, which includes handouts of un-scaffolded and scaffolded assignments and the activities to be done during the workshop. This can also be of use for faculty members who want some reference (uploaded by Ting Zhang).

Assessment and Evaluation of Student Writing

• Responding to Student Writers by Nancy Sommers 2013 (pdf): This short book talks about many forms of responding to student writers from various sources which extend beyond the classroom, and help students become critical readers of their own works (uploaded by Ting Zhang).
• Summary Comments – Handout 2011 (pdf): The York WAC Fellows put together this handout for the Day of Assessment at York during the fall 2011 semester. The documents offer strategies for incorporating summary into feedback on student writing (uploaded by Ashley Williard).
• Summary Comments – Poster 2011 (pdf): The York WAC Fellows put together this poster for the Day of Assessment at York during the fall 2011 semester. The documents offer strategies for incorporating summary into feedback on student writing (uploaded by Ashley Williard).
• Assessing Student Writing, excerpts from Engaging Ideas by John Bean 2011 (pdf): Chapters on “Reading, Commenting On, and Grading Student Writing” excerpted from John C. Bean’s Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (uploaded by Rebecca Devers).
• Teaching with Writing, by Kerry Walk 2007 (pdf): Chapters on “Commenting on Student Writing” and “Grading Papers” excerpted from Walk’s Teaching with Writing: A Guide for Faculty and Graduate Students (uploaded by Zhanna Kushmakova).
• The Complexities of Responding to Student Writing, by Richard Haswell 2006 (pdf): This article discusses recent theories about responding to student writing. It recommends task-, discipline- and learner-specific approaches to commentary on written assignments (uploaded by Rebecca Devers).
• Responding to Student Writing, by Nancy Sommers 1982 (pdf): This article addresses what constitutes thoughtful commentary on written assignments and what effect an instructor’s comments have on helping students to become more effective writers (uploaded by Rebecca Devers).
• The Phenomenology of Error, by Joseph Williams 1981 (pdf): This article discusses grammar errors in student writing (uploaded by Rebecca Devers).
• Peer Review Workshop (doc): A sample worksheet for students to fill out during a peer review workshop. This was tailored to a term paper assignment in an Intro to Mass Communication class (uploaded by Molly Pulda).
• Rubrics and Metacognition: Friends or Foes (pdf): A selection of passages debating the effectiveness of rubrics. Pertains to what Writing Fellows need to know about assessment (uploaded by Jonathan Hall).

Working with Multilingual Students

• WAC Brochure on Working with MLL students for Faculty 2017 (pdf): Developed Charlotte Thurston, WAC Fellow at York College, this brochure offers the faculty some guidelines and strategies in working with MLL students, and in helping them in the classroom and in the writing process (uploaded by Ting Zhang).
• Strangers in Academia: The Experiences of Faculty and ESOL Students Across the Curriculum by Vivian Zamel 1995 (pdf): This article records experiences of ESL students as well as faculty members across the disciplines, and explores the challenges and opportunities brought by more and more diverse student body to the classroom. (uploaded by Ting Zhang).
  
• Teaching Multilingual Learners: Facts and Tips (doc): A brief overview of what faculty teaching Writing Intensive (WI) courses should know about multilingual learners, developed by Jonathan Hall and the WAC Fellows at York College (uploaded by Elizabeth Alsop).

APA, MLA, and Chicago Style Guides

• APA Style Purdue Writing Lab: a link to a comprehensive guide from OWL Writing Lab at Purdue University on using APA style.
• MLA Style Purdue Writing Lab: a link to a comprehensive MLA formatting and style guide from OWL Writing Lab at Purdue University.
• Chicago Style Purdue Writing Lab: a comprehensive formatting and style guide from the Chicago Manual of Style from OWL Writing Lab at Purdue University.

Handling Plagiarism

•  CUNY WAC Program on Plagiarism: The WAC Fellows at Hunter have developed a website on the Commons to serve as a centralized location for resources on plagiarism. They encourage you to visit the website, help them build it, and send in relevant resources (added by John McMahon).
• Plagiarism: Pernicious Plague or Preventable Pest?: a video exploring whether plagiarism is preventable or not, and how to do it (added by Ting Zhang).

Baruch Very Short Guides for Faculty:

one-page distillations from general pedagogical strategies and concepts, to syllabus and assignment design; from in-class activity, to assessment and evaluation. In each, you’ll find a concise introduction, practical suggestions for easy implementation, and a few references to high-impact further reading (added by Ting Zhang).

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