Faculty who teach with writing, service-learning invited to retreat

Western Washington University faculty members who teach with writing or service-learning are invited to participate in “Backwards by Design: A Working Retreat for Faculty Who Teach With Writing and/or Service-Learning.”

This year, the Center for Service-Learning and the Writing Instruction Support programs are partnering to provide a late-summer professional development opportunity for faculty with two different tracks. One cohort of attendees will focus on strategies for integrating academic service-learning into their courses, while another cohort will focus on practices for enhancing writing instruction. As these two topics complement each other well, we are looking forward to the collaboration that will happen in and between both groups.

This three-day retreat will run Wednesday, Aug. 29, through Friday, Aug. 31, at Western's Shannon Point Marine Center nestled in the woods and near the water in Anacortes. All expenses for travel, lodging, food, and materials are covered. An additional stipend will be available to participants who submit a brief follow-up survey identifying what specific ideas/practices they gained from the retreat followed by a brief write-up within the 2012-2013 academic year tracking the results of how those practices resulted in improved student learning.

If your main interest in attending is related to service-learning, see this link for more information and email April McMurry to reserve your spot in the program. If your main focus is on writing instruction, email writinginstructionsupport@wwu.edu to pre-register or click here to learn more. 10 spaces are available for each track (for a total of 20 participants).