UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Molly Hiro

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.”

UP Writing Center and Writing Program At Your Service

The Writing Center and Writing Program are gearing up to serve the UP community in fall 2019, according to Molly Hiro, English. The Writing Center (in the Learning Commons, 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. We open for the semester Sunday, Sept. 1 (open daily except Saturdays). Please visit the Writing Center website 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.
  • 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. We’ve fixed that problem this semester, preparing the new Writing Assistants 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, 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 to give a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email our hotline writing@up.eduwith 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 (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 here.

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, 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? Please feel free to contact her at hiro@up.edu or x8031.

Senior English Capstones, April 24, May 1: Everybody Welcome!

Senior English majors will be presenting their Capstone projects in two sessions open to all members of the campus community on Wednesday, April 24 and Wednesday, May 1, 4:10-6:10, in Franz Hall room 120. Refreshments will be served. Please join us to hear about topics ranging from feminist dystopias to ghosts in American literature! For a full schedule, use this link.

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

TLC Brownbag Session: When Students Stop Showing Up, Feb. 13

The Teaching & Learning Collaborative invites all faculty to a brownbag conversation in the Murphy Room from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday February 13, exploring the topic “When Students Stop Showing Up.” Gina Loschiavo (Care Team coordinator) and Brenda Greiner (SARC director) will highlight campus resources that enable faculty to keep being faculty when a student stops attending a class; CAS associate dean Andrew Downs, Pamplin School of Business associate dean Lisa Reed, and English professor Molly Hiro will offer faculty members’ perspectives on this thorny issue. Convivial, frank conversation will round out the session. For more information, contact Karen Eifler (eifler@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 2019, according to Molly Hiro, English. 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 semester on Sunday, January 20 (open daily except Saturdays). Please visit the Writing Center website 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 since it is required in their two writing-embedded courses. The 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 Integrated 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? Please feel free to contact her at hiro@up.edu or x8031.

Integrated Writing Program and the Writing Center: Resources for Faculty and Students

The Integrated Writing Program and the Writing Center are gearing up to serve the UP community in 2018-19. The program has a new director, Molly Hiro, English, whom you are welcome to contact with any writing-related questions or concerns at x8031 or hiro@up.edu. The Writing Center (part of the Learning Commons, housed in BC 163) opens Sunday, September 2.

The University’s Writing Center will be open from the second Sunday of the semester (Sept. 2) through finals week, daily except Saturdays. A link to the Writing Center has been added to all Moodle pages, in the top left corner, under “Learning Resources.”

To familiarize students with the Center and its value to them, email writing@up.edu to have an assistant visit your classroom to give a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. That email address is also the hotline students can use to make appointments outside the established slots, should all slots be filled. There are no longer walk-in hours at the Center, so students need to book appointments in advance (no later than midnight the day before the conference).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.

Finally, all your students should possess a common writing handbook – The Pocket Cengage Handbook as it’s required in their two writing-embedded courses. It 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 Hiro at hiro@up.edu by the second week of the semester.