Spring 2020 ICaP Workshop Series

ICaP is excited to offer the following workshops this semester! Led by ICaP staff and experienced instructors, these workshops will help you develop your own pedagogical practices. 

In response to conversations during our Norm, Read, and Rate sessions and feedback from instructors, three of our workshops form a series dedicated to teaching research in first-year composition. Please see the list below for workshop times and dates. 

Designing and Assessing Reflective Writing
Allegra Smith
Mar. 4, 12:30-2pm, HEAV 123

We’ll be discussing ways to incorporate reflective writing assignments into FYC to facilitate student metacognition and self-evaluation. Topics will include items for consideration in reflective assignments, formats that reflection can take, and how to assess reflective writing. 

Teaching Research in First-Year Composition
(Research Series Pt. 1)
Kristyn Childres, Dee McCormick
Mar. 11, 10:30-12pm, SC 246

We all teach research in our writing classes, but it can be hard to get students to engage with the process of forming good questions and seeking good answers. This workshop offers principles and practices for introducing students to research beyond the Google search. We will discuss how to integrate a more substantial view of research and inquiry into your first-year writing course, including research-based argument, primary research methods, and reflection on the research process.

Teaching Primary Research
(Research Series Pt. 2)
Libby Chernouski
Mar. 26, 10:30-12pm, HEAV 123

We’ll discuss how to incorporate primary research as a method of inquiry appropriate for a broad range of projects in a first-year writing course, focusing on guiding students through the thinking, planning, data gathering, and interpreting phases of primary research. We’ll also think about how to scaffold primary research for a traditional research report. Practical tips and example assignments will be provided. 

Drop-In Website Workshop
Kristyn Childres, Dee McCormick
April 7, 11:00am-2pm, 2nd Floor Grad Lab

Stop by the second-floor grad lab for help editing, building, or designing your professional website. Whether you’re selecting a platform, creating content, choosing a design, or revamping a preexisting site, ICaP Technology Mentors Dee McCormick and Kristyn Childres will help you.

Implementing Readings + Texts
Narim Kim, Gabe Lonsberry
April 10, 2:30-4pm, GRIS 118

Learn how to get the most out of the texts you are already assigning in ENGL 106, as well as how to build lessons, assignments, and projects around your personal favorite essays and literary works—all while meeting ICaP’s learning goals. After all, the more excited you are about the texts you’re assigning, the more excited your students will be.

Basic Statistical Analysis in Excel
(Research Series Pt. 3)
Sharry T. Vahed
April 15, 12:00-1:30pm, SC 246

This workshop will show instructors how to teach their students to do basic statistical analysis (descriptive statistics) using the widely available Microsoft Office Excel. Students will learn what the 'measures of central tendency' are and how they can use Excel to calculate and visualize these measures after they have collected quantitative data.