Writing Instruction Research Fellowships available

With support from Western Libraries, the Writing Instruction Support program and Heritage Resources are co-sponsoring the 2014-15 Writing Instruction Research Fellowships for faculty-student pairs to conduct studies investigating the effectiveness of particular instructional practices used in research-based writing classes.

Each Writing Research Fellow pair receives a $750 stipend in exchange for developing a research study, completing a Human Subjects Review application, meeting once-a-month (January-June and October-December 2014) to consult with other Fellows on their evolving studies, and sharing their resulting findings and materials in a brief write-up to be posted on the Writing Instruction Support website.

Faculty assigning primary sources are especially encouraged to apply (and will receive an additional $300 incentive if the research involves exploration of unique materials found in Western Libraries Heritage Resources); however, any course that includes a significant writing component incorporating research is eligible. The study may include a range of primary sources as well as traditional secondary print, and multi-media sources. Examples of primary sources include letters and diaries; government, church, and business records; oral histories; photographs, motion pictures, and videos; maps and land records; and blueprints. Newspaper articles contemporaneous with the events described are traditionally considered primary sources. Artifacts and specimens may also be primary evidence if they are the object of study.

For examples of instructional practices studied from past projects, see http://library.wwu.edu/wis_fellows For questions, contact WIS Director Carmen Werder, carmen.werder@wwu.edu

To apply for a fellowship, interested faculty members should submit the following information to WritingInstructionSupport@wwu.edu. Selections will begin on Jan. 27.

• Faculty co-researcher name and department
• Course(s) involved in study and quarter(s) taught
• Student co-researcher name and contact information (can be tentative)
• Instructional practice/technique under study (can be tentative)
• Type(s) of research source(s) serving as basis for writing assignments