Chapter 10. �Something Invisible . . . Has Been Made Visible for Me�: An Expertise-Based WAC Seminar Model Grounded in Theory and (Cross) Disciplinary Dialogue

Working With Faculty Partners to Change Conceptions of Writing Beyond University Walls

“…In this article, we argue that WAC programs are well-positioned to change not only faculty (and student) conceptions around writing within the university, but also to collaborate with disciplinary faculty who have crossed conceptual thresholds about writing and work together with them to advocate for changed conceptions of writing beyond the university. As our research has demonstrated (Glotfelter, Updike, & Wardle, 2020;Glotfelter et al, 2022), faculty can and do change their conceptions around writing when engaging in WAC programming that is intentionally designed around conceptual and systemic change. The methods for such change-focused work can also be used beyond the university, and disciplinary faculty can become ambassadors in efforts to help change public misconceptions of writing.…”

“…Drawing on research from change theory (Kezar, 2018), learning theory (Ambrose et al, 2010;Bean & Melzer, 2021), and the threshold concept framework (Meyer & Land, 2003), we designed a program called Faculty Writing Fellows (hereafter, Fellows) that enrolls teams of faculty from multiple disciplines to engage in sustained work over a semester. As we explain elsewhere 1 (Glotfelter et al, 2020;Glotfelter et al, 2022;Wardle, 2019), Fellows is designed around the following principles:…”

“…Faculty come to understand that learning to write is challenging for everyone, and that writing with and for others is an important part of becoming an effective writer in context. (For more on how the program works, see Glotfelter et al, 2020;Glotfelter et al, 2022;Wardle, 2019. For working methods that informed this program and a similar one at the University of California Santa Barbara, see Adler-Kassner and Wardle, Writing Expertise: A Research-Based Approach to Writing and Learning Across Disciplines, 2022).…”

“…We and many of the Fellows have published extensively about the change efforts of this particular program (see Glotfelter et al, 2020;Glotfelter et al, 2022;Wardle, 2019;Miami Writing Spotlights;Olejnik, 2022). In this section we briefly outline a few of the areas where WAC Fellows programming has impacted faculty in order to demonstrate how changed conceptions can and do lead to changed practices.…”

Do I really have to Teach them to Read and Write? Education Equity Mindset and Teaching Literacy across the College Curriculum

“…Because most college faculty have not been prepared in literacy instruction, they are challenged by what they can and should do to help struggling students meet expectations for reading and writing (Gregory & Colclough 2018). However, as faculty recognize how reading and writing among disciplines can differ, they are also recognizing a need to address issues of literacy instruction for their students (Glotfelter et al, 2020), embracing the notion students are unlikely to learn what is not being taught. Further, Glotfelder and colleagues (2020) recognize that the transfer of literacy from English courses to other disciplines is not likely to lead to students meeting the content reading and writing expectations of the discipline.…”