Writing Fellows Programs

Welcome to the WAC Clearinghouse Writing Fellows Programs page. This page provides descriptions of writing fellows programs, links to resources relevant to writing fellows programs, and a bibliography of sources related to the use of writing fellows to support writing across the disciplines.

 

 

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Writing Fellows Programs

American University of Sharjah Writing Fellows Program

Since its inception in 2006, the American University of Sharjah's Writing Fellows program has supported student writing in courses as diverse as art history, biology, civil engineering, chemical engineering, design, economics, education, English, history, management, and political science. For more information, please e-mail Lynne Ronesi, LRONESI@AUS.EDU

Arizona State University - Writing Fellows

Writing fellows are an integral part of the Writers’ Studio. Writing fellows are peer tutors who work with students in the Writers’ Studio to provide good feedback on writing projects and to assist with moderating group discussions. Writing fellows reflect the core values of the program, namely, that writing is a social act and that collaboration among peers is a valuable and highly effective method of learning. Together with instructors, writing fellows work closely with students in the Writers’ Studio to foster a collaborative, interactive online learning space.

Barnard College Writing Fellows Program

Barnard College Writing Fellows are attached to particular writing- intensive courses in a variety of departments and required to work one hour a week in the Writing Center. Compensation for a term is $700 and participants enroll in a 3-credit training course. Please contact Pamela Cobrin, the program's director, at pcobrin@barnard.edu for more information.

Boston College Writing Fellows Program

Boston College’s Writing Fellows Program is an opportunity for graduate students. Fellows are required to work ten hours while attending seminars each week. Pay is $10 an hour. The program’s director, Paula Mathieu, may be reached at mathiepa@bc.edu.

Bridgewater State University Graduate Writing Fellows Program

Piloted in 2008, the BSU GWF program is a flexible program, wherein graduate programs work closely with WAC to create a GWF program that best fits the program's needs. GWFs receive tuition and fee waivers, plus a stipend and parking pass, for 10 hours of service per week. Contact Dr. Maria Hegbloom (Mhegbloom@bridgew.edu) for more information.

Brigham Young University Writing Fellows Program

BYU's Writing Fellows Program is a curriculum-based peer tutoring program for undergraduate students, sponsored by General Education and University Writing. Fellows work with faculty and their students on two class-specific writing assignments throughout the writing process. Fellows are paid $9.50+ an hour for approximately sixty hours a semester, and are expected to take a 3-credit course their first semester, as well as attend various workshops on tutoring theory and praxis. For more information, contact the coordinator, Zachary Largey at byuwritingfellows@gmail.com.

Bronx Community College Writing Fellows

Six faculty have been assigned by CUNY to the Bronx Community College WAC program. Writing Fellows are upper level doctoral students from the City University Graduate Center. They are working in several departments on campus to help realize the College’s plan for integrating writing assignments throughout the disciplines. Each of the six Writing Fellows is assigned to a specific division or department where they work with both students and faculty. The Fellows meet weekly in a joint meeting with the Writing Fellows coordinator, Dr. Gabrielle Regney; and monthly with faculty members from the various departments to discuss writing strategies.

Brown University

Established in 1982, this is one of the first writing fellows programs in the nation and one of the models on which other writing fellows programs are based. The program serves from 45 to 50 courses each year, reaching roughly 3,000 undergraduates. Brown’s writing fellows also tutor basic writing as part of the Pre-College Enrichment Program, which targets at-risk high school students.

Carleton College Writing Assistants Program

The director of Carleton College’s Writing Assistants Program and Writing Center is Kathy Evertz. Writing Assistants come from the pool of Writing Center consultants. Assistants dedicate an average of three hours per week to meeting with students, and earn $9.27 an hour. Contact Kathy Evertz (Kevertz@carleton.edu) for more information.

Clemson University - Writing Fellows

Clemson Writing Fellows is based on the assumption that all writers, regardless of background and grade point average, have room for improvement and that peer editing is an effective means of improving student writing. Research shows that students tend to feel comfortable and grow as writers when working in an established and functional peer editing relationship. The Clemson Writing Fellows Program aims to build on the strength of our best writers, offer practical experience to the Fellows, and create a climate of academic conversation and revision within some of our most successful early courses.

CUNY Writing Fellows Program

The Office of Undergraduate Studies convenes WAC coordinators from across the University. WAC/ WID at CUNY began with the 1999 Board Resolution endorsing the centrality of writing to a university education and calling for the integration of writing across the curriculum. The Board Resolution also established the CUNY Writing Fellows program, which trains CUNY doctoral students to support efforts to improve writing at the campuses. 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.

DePaul University Writing Fellows Program

Undergraduate Writing Fellows are a group of highly talented, carefully selected, and extensively trained undergraduates who serve as peer writing tutors in classes all across DePaul University. Fellows make thoughtful and extensive revision-oriented comments upon drafts of assigned papers and then confer one-on-one for a substantial amount of time with each student in an effort to help students make smart, significant revisions to their papers before the papers are turned in for a grade.

George Mason University Writing Fellows Program

Writing Fellows are undergraduates, recommended to the WAC program by faculty in the disciplines. Fellows are enrolled in a 1-credit course in peer tutoring for disciplinary writing courses during their first semester of work with our program, then continue on 1-credit of independent study with the WAC-program in subsequent semesters. Writing Fellows are jointly sponsored by the WAC program and the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, & Research (OSCAR). While oversight for the fellows is provided by the WAC director, being part of OSCAR allows them to join with student scholars and researchers to report on their work at local, regional, and national conferences. For more information, contact Dr. Caitlin Holmes (Cholmes@gmu.edu).

Grand Valley State University's Classroom-Based Tutoring Program

Since the 1980's, writing center consultants have been assigned to all sections of the first-year writing courses. In the required course, WRT 150: Strategies in Writing, consultants are assigned to classrooms in a variety of configurations based on instructor preference. Often, consultants are part of a 2-hour lab classroom period, but they can also be assigned to 1-hour lecture days or brought in along with additional consultants for peer review workshops. In the classroom setting, the consultant can facilitate group conversations or work one-to-one with students while they are engaged in writing activities. In the developmental writing course, WRT 098: Writing with a Purpose, consultants (1 for every 5 students) facilitate small-group, peer-review sessions on student work during the one-hour "low-tech" classroom period. These models of classroom-based consulting are offered by request for instructors of writing-intensive courses across the university, as resources allow. For more information, contact - Patrick Johnson (WC Director) at johpatri@gvsu.edu or Lindsay Ellis (WAC Director) at ellisl@gvsu.edu.

James Madison University

James Madison University's Writing Fellows Program pairs advanced undergraduate writing tutors with courses in a variety of disciplines. In these classes, writing fellows help lead writing workshops, deliver mini-lessons, hold individual student conferences, and collaborate on assignment design. For more information, please contact the Writing Fellows Coordinator, Laura Schubert (schubelk@jmu.edu).

Lafayette College Writing Associates Program

Since it was established in 1987, the College Writing Program CWP) has worked to integrate the practice of writing into courses across the College. The CWP staff trains selected undergraduates as writing associates (WAs), who provide informed and intelligent readings of draft papers in order to help students formulate their own writing. Each semester, CWP employs 50-60 WAs, who work with approximately 750 students and 50 faculty members from all divisions. WAs support First-Year Seminars (FYS) and a variety of other courses across the curriculum. WAs also run a drop-in service for students in courses not affiliated with CWP. During the semester, CWP offers workshops for faculty and students and hosts noted specialists in writing and writing pedagogy. For more information, contact Bianca Falbo, CWP Director (falbob@lafayette.edu).

Lehigh University's TRAC (Technology, Research, and Communication) Writing Fellows Program

The TRAC Writing Fellows at Lehigh do the peer-tutoring work of conventional writing fellows, but this new initiative includes active assistance with library and database research, and new instructional technologies, along with proactive efforts in faculty development and institutional change. TRAC Fellows are trained in a 4-credit seminar course taught by a team of instructors that includes: the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, the Director of Faculty Development, librarians, instructional technologists, and other guest instructors from across the university community. The real engine of the program’s success, in terms of progress, innovation, and institutional change, has been the network of relationships forged among all the program’s participants and partners in working together to foster a culture of writing at Lehigh. Contact: Greg Skutches (grs206@lehigh.edu)

Northwestern University - Writing Fellows Program

The Graduate Writing Fellows Program brings together a group of advanced Northwestern graduate students who want to augment their writing, leadership, and teaching skills at the same that they improve the writing skills of other graduate students at Northwestern. Graduate Writing Fellows work one-on-one with graduate students from across the university to respond to their writing in progress and to coach them in principles of expression, argumentation, and organization.

Princeton University - Writing Center Fellows

Writing Center Fellows are Princeton undergraduate and graduate students who work one-on-one with student writers. If you’re an excellent academic writer who enjoys giving feedback to other writers, especially on macro issues such as developing an argument and organizing ideas, a position as a Writing Center Fellow may be for you. You’ll have the chance to affect students’ academic lives in positive and meaningful ways. Perhaps as important, you’ll get the chance to hone your teaching skills—and your own writing skills—as you serve the University community.

San Diego State University - Rhetoric and Writing Fellows

The Writing Fellows Program offers graduate and upper division students the opportunity to blend theory with practice. The primary goal of the program is to assist a diverse population of students in developing the advanced reading and writing abilities necessary to succeed at the University level and beyond.

St. John’s University WAC Faculty Fellows and Writing Fellows Program

The WAC Faculty Fellows and Writing Fellows program, initiated in 2009, pairs faculty from across the disciplines with undergraduate writing consultants from the SJU Queens Writing Center. These pairs work together to support student writers in the Faculty Fellows’ spring undergraduate courses across the disciplines. Writing Fellows work with their Faculty Fellows to develop writing assignments and to discuss methods of giving feedback to student writers. All Writing Fellows also meet with students in the course in one-on-one sessions throughout the semester. Faculty and Writing Fellows collaborate to develop written job descriptions before their work together begins. The Writing Fellows attend group meetings with the Faculty Fellows both before and during the spring semester. They also have Writing Fellow only meetings, where they share their experiences, offer support, and develop ideas for working with students and with their Faculty Fellows, who meet as a group from October to May. Writing Fellows are paid their hourly writing center wage and Faculty Fellows receive a stipend for participation in the program. Contact: Dr. Anne Ellen Geller, WAC Director: gellera@stjohns.edu

Swarthmore College's Writing Associates Program

The Writing Associates Program at Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts college, is home to the writing fellows or what we call the Course WA program. Other programs include the Writing Center, the Online Writing Lab (OWL), the Writing Associate Mentor (WAM) Program, and the Thesis WA Program. For more information about our program please contact Jill Gladstein, director at jgladst1@swarthmore.edu.

Texas Tech University Writing Fellows Program

The TTU Writing Fellows Program is designed to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to receive guided feedback on their writing assignments from peers who have been trained in Writing Center and Composition pedagogy.

Tufts University Writing Fellows Program

At Tufts, Undergraduate Fellows are trained in a course on writing theory and pedagogy, are assigned to classes in their major, and meet with small groups of students to discuss early drafts of papers and offer suggestions for revision. Graduate Fellows run discussion sections in large lecture classes and work with students on writing as well as on the course material.

University of California Santa Barbara - Raab Writing Fellows Program

The Raab Writing Fellows Program in the Writing Program at UC Santa Barbara supports a select group of UCSB undergraduates in year-long projects to further their engagement with writing.The program develops the academic and professional writing of students via one-on-one work with Writing Program faculty. Moreover, students have the opportunity to collaborate with the cohort of other Raab Writing Fellows, building a strong bond and writing network for their activities at UCSB and beyond.

University of California, Davis

Writing Fellows are advanced undergraduates trained to work one-on-one with student writers in writing-intensive courses, such as first-year interdisciplinary Honors colloquia and first-year Honors composition courses. The Writing Fellows Program is part of the University Honors Program. For more information, contact Ray Peters (rpeters@udel.edu)

University of Delaware's Writing Fellows Program

Writing Fellows are advanced undergraduates trained to work one-on-one with student writers in writing-intensive courses, such as first-year interdisciplinary Honors colloquia and first-year Honors composition courses. The Writing Fellows Program is part of the University Honors Program.

University of Georgia Writing Fellows Program

The CTL Writing Fellows program was established in 2007 by the Office of the Vice President of Instruction; up to twelve faculty selected as CTL Writing Fellows meet regularly to discuss the most effective ways to teach and respond to student writing. Each CTL Writing Fellow receives $1,000 to subsidize projects aimed at constructing courses or initiatives that will support student writing at UGA.

University of Hawai`i Manoa Writing Mentors Program

Our mentoring program places English graduate students in English 100 classrooms to help students in first-year composition perform to the best of their abilities. Mentors help students meet their instructors' expectations and standards through such varied approaches as holding regular out-of-class conferences, coaching students in library research skills, teaching students to develop e-portfolios of their writing, introducing students to writing intensive courses that will follow English 100, and helping students become a part of our campus community in many other ways. Students, mentors, and faculty have affirmed the added value that the mentoring brings to the first-year experience, and mentors have lauded the professional experience that this work provides them in preparation for their own careers as teachers, scholars, and writers. For more information, please contact Dr. Georganne Nordstrom (georgann@hawaii.edu)

University of Iowa Honors Writing Fellows Program

Writing Fellows is a peer tutoring/writing across the curriculum initiative. Writing Fellows are undergraduate students assigned to a course to provide feedback to students on first drafts of writing assignments. Each year, Iowa employs some thirty undergraduates to teach as Honors Writing Fellows. The Fellows assist with courses in a variety of fields, enabling the faculty instructors to emphasize writing as a way to learn the field. The program improves student writing and learning, while enabling faculty to accomplish more with their courses. It also benefits the Fellows themselves, who love the training, the teaching, and the related opportunities.

University of Kansas - Writing Fellows Program

Writing Fellows (WFs) are undergraduate students, trained as writing consultants. They are peer educators who “reach into” specific classrooms, working with faculty to develop writing assignments and decide how assignments might be sequenced and evaluated. WFs neither teach content nor assign grades—they are not teaching assistants. Rather, their role is to constructively critique student writing. WFs help students better understand writing assignments, brainstorm content, and revise drafts to successfully present their thoughts and ideas.

University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Dartmouth faculty teaching writing-intensive courses can apply to partner with trained, undergraduate Writing Assistants (WA). Working 40-60 hours a term, these WAs read drafts of student papers, responding with facilitative, written feedback. They consult regularly with faculty to support student writers and to advance the WAs' understanding of writing and writing pedagogy. They may even hold office hours with individual students or meet with groups to discuss approaches to writing. Because the WAP, which serves classes across many disciplines, operates under the premise that guided revision is the most critical process in improving student writing, WAs only respond to writing during drafting and revision. All WAs also serve as tutors in Dartmouth’s Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information technology (RWIT). Visit the Dartmouth IWR website to find general information about the Dartmouth WAP or to read our WAP FAQ page. For more information, contact Director of the IWR Christiane Donahue (christiane.k.donahue@dartmouth.edu) or Interim Director of Student Support Services in the IWR Nick Van Kley (nicholas.b.van.kley@dartmouth.edu).

University of Richmond Writing Fellows

The WAC Program consists of more than 60 undergraduate Writing Consultants assigned to classes across the curriculum, largely in the first-year seminars courses. The program site offers detailed guidelines for Writing Consultants and assessment instruments for program participants. For more information, contact the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, Joe Essid (jessid@richmond.edu).

University of the Pacific Writing Fellows Program

Known as “Classroom-based Writing Mentors,” Pacific’s writing fellows are juniors, seniors, and graduate students who receive an hourly wage and put in 40 to 50 hours a semester. Instructors of writing-intensive courses select their own writing mentors, and the writing program hires, trains, and funds them. There is a beginning-of-semester training for all mentors, and a handful of workshops each year. Typically, this is strictly a peer-tutor model, though certain instructors have recently found success with utilizing undergraduate writing mentors in their graduate seminars. For more information, contact the Director of University Writing Programs, Eileen Kogl Camfield (ecamfield@pacific.edu).

University of Toronto

Since 2006 University of Toronto’s Faculty of Arts & Science WIT (Writing Instruction for TAs) initiative has employed advanced disciplinary Ph.D. as writing fellows (called Lead Writing TAs) in designated courses as well as in broader initiatives such as writing inventory projects in their home departments and programs. Writing fellows work closely with instructors on course and assignment design and with course TAs on integrating writing instruction into group discussion sessions and labs as well as providing training to TAs on responding to and evaluating student writing. So far writing fellows from over 20 departments have participated and writing fellows are involved annually in about 80 courses. The program is centrally funded (by the Faculty of Arts & Science) but locally administered (writing fellows are hired by their home departments) and jointly managed by a faculty member (normally the undergraduate coordinator) from each participating department and the WIT Coordinator. For more information, please contact Andrea L. Williams (al.williams@utoronto.ca)

University of Wisconsin at Madison Writing Fellows Program

The program supports both students and faculty in writing-intensive and Communications-B courses. It places undergraduates in positions of intellectual leadership, emphasizes the significance of writing skills, and applies the concept of peer mentoring to the process of writing papers. It also creates new opportunities for intellectual exchange between and among students and faculty. New Fellows receive $600 per semester working 70-90 hours during the term. A 3-credit training course is paid by tuition. Emily Hall directs the program and may be reached at ebhall@facstaff.wisc.edu.
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Utah State University Writing Fellows Program

Utah State University's Writing Fellows Program began in 1990. It is a curriculum-based peer-tutoring program for undergraduate students, sponsored by the USU Provost’s office and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students are nominated for the program by professors who are familiar with their writing skills. Writing Fellows work with faculty and their students on two or three class-specific writing assignments throughout the writing semester. Fellows are paid $600 a semester and are expected to take a 2-credit course their first semester for training. For more information, contact the Director, Julie Foust Andrew, at julie.foust@usu.edu
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Washington University Writing Fellows Program

Washington University's Writing Fellows Program is a peer mentoring program run by Cornerstone: The Center for Advanced Learning. The writing fellows are undergraduates nominated by professors, and are currently working in courses in the humanities and the sciences. Fellows work with students on 2-3 papers a semester. For more information about Washington University's Writing Fellows Program, please contact Seema Mukhi at smukhi@wustl.edu.

West Point Writing Fellows Program

Established in 2012, the Writing Fellows Program enables Cadets and faculty work together to research powerful ideas and effective practices in composition, to contribute originally to high-level scholarly conversations, and above all, to enhance the resources available to all Cadets for the development of their thinking and writing.

Western Carolina University Writing Fellows Program

The Western Carolina University Writing Fellows program—the first of its kind in the UNC system—addresses undergraduate writing needs across the academic disciplines by directly supporting faculty who assign at least two papers per semester. Each Fellow works closely with 10-12 students, providing an additional level of focused support in classes where writing is important. Contact Maryann Peterson at mpeterson@email.wcu.edu for more information.

Yale University - McDougal Graduate Writing Fellows Program

McDougal Writing Fellows are motivated graduate students with excellent communication skills who are passionate about teaching writing. They plan, organize, and lead academic writing workshops, coordinate writing groups, including Dissertation Boot Camps and Study Halls, and develop academic writing resources.