UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Molly Hiro

Imagining New Courses: A Focus Group Discussion on Interdisciplinary Teaching (Feb. 24) 

Have you been curious about developing a new Core Exploration course but haven’t yet taken the plunge? Do you feel like you understand interdisciplinarity as a concept, but not how to put it into practice in the classroom? The Core Curriculum (Andrew Guest) and the NEH “Core Humanities” grant team (Jen McDaneld and Molly Hiro) would love to get your insights on these and other questions at a focus group discussion over lunch (on us) at the Teske Room/Holy Cross Dining Room on Friday, Feb. 24, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m. (you’re welcome to join for just part of this time if you’re teaching). We’ll discuss new ideas you may have for courses, support UP might provide, and opportunities for making innovative classes happen. We’ll also offer a mini-preview of the pilot Engaged Humanities institute Jen and Molly will be leading in May (which will come with a $1,000 stipend for participants). Please email Andrew Guest (guesta@up.edu) to reserve your spot; faculty from all schools and ranks are welcome! 

Writing Assistance Available for Summer Classes

Summer faculty who assign writing: the virtual Writing Center is open and ready to help your students with their papers-in-process. Rather than using our online scheduler, in the summer, students can email writing@up.edu to book appointments, which will be held on Zoom.

Please visit the Writing Center website for more information and for online writing resources, or email Writing Center director Molly Hiro, hiro@up.edu, with any questions.

Faculty: Please Promote the Writing Center in Your Classes!

The Writing Center is gearing up for another virtual semester of helping student writers at any stage of the writing process, at any level, and in any discipline, according to director Molly Hiro, English. The center’s 23 writing assistants (WAs) held hundreds of Zoom appointments last fall, and are ready to field that many more in Spring term. Students book appointments through the online scheduler (see our website at this link for more), and when their appointment time comes, meet face to face on Zoom with their writing assistants. Students can also email writing@up.edu to request an appointment time outside of our scheduled available times.

Faculty, please consider plugging the Writing Center in your classes and encouraging students to use our services. One of the best means of getting students to bring their work-in-progress to a Writing Center appointment is for faculty themselves to encourage them to do so (some professors require at least one visit; some give extra credit to students for using our services). When talking to your students about the UP Writing Center, you might keep in mind the following:

  • Our goal is not just to inspire better papers, but create better writers. This means we don’t “fix” papers; we work with students to improve their overall writing skills for this and future tasks.
  • Writing assistance isn’t just for students with major grammar or mechanical problems. Instead, we focus on higher-order concepts such as argument, organization, development, and other areas. Even accomplished writers can make progress on their work in a half-hour session.
  • While our Writing Assistants represent most majors as well as the professional schools, they are trained in a semester-long course to work with students from any discipline.
  • When a student meets with a Writing Assistant to discuss a paper for your course, you’ll get a copy of the conference report—a brief summary of what the student and Writing Assistant worked on (This is an easy way of keeping track of who visited the WC for assigning extra credit, e.g.).
  • An effective way to familiarize your students with the Writing Center and to demonstrate your support for our services is to invite a Writing Assistant to drop in to your online classroom to give a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email our hotline at writing@up.edu with the day and time of the class you’d like a Writing Assistant to visit and we’ll get back to you shortly.
  • Lastly, remember that all Moodle pages have a link to the Writing Center—see the top left corner, under “Learning Resources.”

The Writing Center website also includes other writing-related resources for faculty. Here you can find information about using the Turnitin function through your class Moodle page to help you detect cases of plagiarism and foster student writing integrity.

As the director of the Writing Program and the Writing Center, Hiro is happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester. Need insight on crafting better writing prompts? Resources for integrating writing instruction into your class-time? Help with language to use when evaluating student writing? She may not have all the answers, but feel free to contact her any time at hiro@up.edu.

The Fight to Vote: Engaging the Public in Suffrage Past, Present, and Future, Oct. 1

The Public Research Fellows Virtual Series will host “The Fight to Vote: Engaging the Public in Suffrage Past, Present, and Future,” a panel discussion featuring students, faculty, and activists as they talk about their work in the inaugural 2019-2020 year of the Public Research Fellows program, on Thursday, October 1, 6-7 p.m. Use this link to attend.

As we look ahead to November, voting rights have never been a more important part of the national conversation. But what are the best ways to engage the public on this vital issue? And how can academic work make a real difference in how we understand the history of the vote and its meaning today? Join us for a conversation on suffrage movements, voting rights, and the role the public humanities can play in widening the scope of academic research today.

For more information contact Molly Hiro, English, at hiro@up.edu.

 

Writing Center Ready to Help Writers Online This Fall

Student typing on laptopAfter a successful test run in the spring, the Writing Center is gearing up for a fully remote fall, and the center is counting on UP faculty to get the word out that writing assistants (WAs) are ready and able to help UP writers throughout the term. WAs can help writers from all disciplines, at all levels, and at any stage of the process, including brainstorming ideas, understanding assignments, outlining, and revising.

Online appointments can be made through the appointment scheduler. When it’s time for the meeting, students simply click on “Meet online” and the 30- or 60-minute appointment will happen over Zoom. Students can also email writing@up.edu to request an appointment time outside of regularly scheduled available times.

New this year, the center is offering a limited number of “dedicated writing assistants” to work directly with writing-intensive courses. If you’re interested in having a writing assistant assigned to your course (to introduce the Writing Center to your students, meet with you to talk over assignments and expectations, and serve as the go-to writing assistant for any student from your class), please reach out to Writing Center Director Molly Hiro (hiro@up.edu) for more details.

One of the best means of getting students to bring their work-in-progress to the Writing Center is for faculty themselves to encourage them to do so (some professors require at least one visit; some give extra credit to students for using our services). When talking to your students about the UP Writing Center, you might keep in mind the following:

  • The center’s goal is not just to inspire better papers, but create better writers. This means writing assistants don’t “fix” papers; they work with students to improve their overall writing skills for this and future tasks.
  • Writing assistance isn’t just for students with major grammar or mechanical problems. Instead, the focus is on higher-order concepts such as argument, organization, development, and other areas. Even accomplished writers can make progress on their work in a half-hour session.
  • While writing assistants represent most majors as well as the professional schools, they are trained in a semester-long course to work with students from any discipline.
  • You may have found that your students weren’t able to find appointment times in past semesters, especially in early fall as we await the newly trained writing assistants to come on staff. That problem has been fixed this semester; the new writing assistants are prepared to begin working earlier in the term—so reassure students that if they want writing help, they should be able to get it!
  • When a student meets with a writing assistant to discuss a paper for your course, you’ll get a copy of the conference report—a brief summary of what the student and writing assistant worked on (this is an easy way of keeping track of who visited the WC for assigning extra credit).
  • An effective way to familiarize your students with the Writing Center and to demonstrate your support for the center’s services is to invite a writing assistant to drop in to your online classroom to give a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email writing@up.edu with the day and time of the class you’d like a writing assistant to visit and the center will get back to you shortly.
  • Lastly, remember that all Moodle pages have a link to the Writing Center—see the top left corner, under “Learning Resources.”

To foster student writing integrity at UP (i.e., find cases of plagiarism when they occur), consider using the Turnitin function through your class Moodle page. Instructions for using this paper-authentication software can be found 0n the Learning Commons website.

All of your students should possess a common writing handbook—The Pocket Cengage Handbook—as it’s required in their two writing-embedded courses. The Cengage Handbook helps keep our campus on the same page when it comes to grammar, punctuation, citation styles, and basic expectations for essay writing across the university. If you need a desk copy of this reference, please contact the Writing Center director by the second week of the semester.

“As the director of the Writing Program and the Writing Center, I am happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester,” says Molly Hiro, English. “Need insight on crafting better writing prompts? Resources for integrating writing instruction into your class-time? Help with language to use when evaluating student writing? I may not have all the answers, but feel free to try me!”

Contact Hiro at hiro@up.edu.

Virtual Writing Assistance Available All Summer

While the in-person Writing Center will remain closed until further notice, virtual writing assistance is available for all students taking courses at UP this summer. If you’re teaching a summer course, especially one involving writing, will you let your students know about this service? One-on-one sessions with our experienced writing assistants will happen via video, by way of Teams + Google Docs. Our goal is to not just to inspire better papers, but to empower students to become better writers.

To make an appointment, students can simply email writing@up.edu and a writing assistant will get back to them within 24 hours (we do not use the scheduler at WCOnline in summer). Another option we are piloting for summer courses is to offer faculty the option of a “Dedicated Writing Assistant” for their course. Dedicated writing assistants will meet with faculty members to learn about the course’s writing assignments and then be available for students seeking assistance with those assignments.

Please contact Writing Center director Molly Hiro (hiro@up.edu) if you’d like to learn more about this option.

UP Writing Center Offering Virtual Writing Assistance

The UP Writing Center has transitioned to an online/virtual service for as long as classes are not meeting in person. Writing assistants have completed training on using MS Teams for videoconferences, and the Writing Center Scheduler has been updated to indicate to students seeking writing assistance that their conferences will now be virtual rather than in-person. We have many open spots on our scheduler, and since students will overall have less contact with their professors and peers, a one-on-one conference with a writing assistant could be a great way for them to find support in this strange time. Please consider encouraging your students to meet virtually with a writing assistant for any writing project they have still to complete this semester. From brainstorming ideas to putting finishing touches on a paper, we can help!

Appointments can be made at: https://up.mywconline.net/

Feel free to contact Writing Center Director Molly Hiro with any questions: hiro@up.edu

UP Writing Center and Integrated Writing Program: At Your Service

The Integrated Writing Program and the Writing Center are gearing up to serve the UP community in spring 2020. The Writing Center (BC 163) is a completely free resource, staffed with trained writing assistants who can help students at all levels, from all disciplines, at all stages of the writing process. The center opens for the spring semester on Tuesday, January 21 (open daily except Saturdays). Please visit the Writing Center website at this link to learn more and make appointments.

One of the best means of getting students to bring their work-in-progress to the Writing Center is for faculty themselves to encourage them to do so (some professors require at least one visit; some give extra credit to students for using our services). When talking to your students about the UP Writing Center, you might keep in mind the following:

  • Our goal is not just to inspire better papers, but create better writers. This means we don’t “fix” papers; we work with students to improve their overall writing skills for this and future tasks.
  • Writing assistance isn’t just for students with major grammar or mechanical problems. Instead, we focus on higher-order concepts such as argument, organization, development, and other areas. Even accomplished writers can make progress on their work in a half-hour session.
  • While our Writing Assistants represent most majors as well as the professional schools, they are trained in a semester-long course to work with students from any discipline.
  • When a student meets with a Writing Assistant to discuss a paper for your course, you’ll get a copy of the conference report—a brief summary of what the student and Writing Assistant worked on (This is an easy way of keeping track of who visited the WC for assigning extra credit, e.g.).
  • An effective way to familiarize your students with the Writing Center and to demonstrate your support for our services is to invite a Writing Assistant to visit your classroom with a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email our hotline at writing@up.edu with the day and time of the class you’d like a Writing Assistant to visit and we’ll get back to you shortly.
  • Lastly, all Moodle pages now have a link to the Writing Center—see the top left corner, under “Learning Resources.”

To foster student writing integrity at UP, consider using the Turnitin function through your class Moodle page. Instructions for using this paper-authentication software can be found here.

All of your students should possess The Pocket Cengage Handbook as it’s required in their two writing-embedded courses.  The Cengage Handbook helps keep our campus on the same page when it comes to grammar, punctuation, citation styles, and basic expectations for essay writing across the university.  If you need a desk copy of this reference, please contact the Writing Center director by the second week of the semester.

Finally, as director of the Integrated Writing Program and the Writing Center, Molly Hiro is happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester. Need insight on crafting better writing prompts? Resources for integrating writing instruction into your class-time? Help with language to use when evaluating student writing? Hiro may not have all the answers, but feel free to ask at hiro@up.edu or x8031.

Teaching Tip of the Week: TeachUP Video on Writing in ANY Discipline

Thanks to an IGNITE grant, the Teaching and Learning Collaborative created 10 short videos that will roll out over the next 10 weeks. Taught by accomplished teachers from all over campus, each is 7-10 minutes long and addresses a topic identified by colleagues as high-value in anyone’s teaching repertoire. This week we are pleased to debut Molly Hiro, English, who also serves as director of the Integrated Writing Center. She will discuss “How To Teaching Writing in ANY Discipline.”