UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Molly Hiro

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.

“Experiencing India: A Film Introduction,” Nov. 14

Molly Hiro and Lars Larson, English, will present “Experiencing India: A Film Introduction” on Tuesday, November 14, at 4:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 102. The presentation begins with a brief overview of their experiences while teaching abroad as Fulbright scholars, along with a quick introduction to some facts about the nation of India. The 30-minute kaleidoscopic film gives viewers an impressionistic sense of sights, sounds, music, and experiences of living abroad in that country. The presentation is free and open to all.

Molly Hiro Presentation, Nov. 3: All Welcome

The Teaching and Scholarship Committee invites all faculty and staff to a presentation by the University’s 2017 faculty teaching award winner, Molly Hiro, on Friday, November 3, at 4 p.m., in Clark Library room 211. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact the Teaching and Scholarship Committee at tas@up.edu.

Congratulations to 2017 Faculty Award Winners

The University’s Faculty Awards were presented on Tuesday, May 9, at the Faculty Awards Dinner, with the following results:

  • The James Culligan Award, established in 1953 in memory of a dedicated servant of the University and presented annually to a faculty member in recognition of distinguished service, was presented to Terry Favero, biology (pictured). Winners of the Culligan Award wear the medal with their academic regalia, as a sign of the University’s highest faculty honor.
  • The Deans’ Award for Faculty Leadership, presented annually to a tenured faculty member who exemplifies, in an extraordinary way, the qualities of teaching and scholarship described in the University’s Articles of Administration for appointment, advancement in rank, and tenure, was presented to Tisha Morrell, education.
  • The Outstanding Teaching Award, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who is a particular exemplar of the University’s commitment to superb teaching, was presented to Molly Hiro, English.
  • The Outstanding Scholarship Award, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who presents unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship during the past two academic years, and whose work substantively enhances the effectiveness of his or her classroom teaching, was presented to Maximilian Schlosshauer, physics.
  • The inaugural Faculty Award for Outstanding Service, presented annually by the Committee on Committees to a faculty member “who engages in creative service work that transforms not only local communities but also those afar and acknowledges distinguished contributions that express the University’s commitment to responding to the needs of the world,” was presented to Alice Gates, sociology and social work.

For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or provost@up.edu.