IMPACT symposium to focus on enhancing learning through writing

The IMPACT (Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation) program's annual symposium, "Enhancing Learning Through Writing," will take place on April 6. The syposium is being organized by the Office of the Provost.

Guest speaker and Purdue alumna Kathleen Blake Yancey, the Kellogg W. Hunt Professor of English and Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University, will lead two workshops centered on incorporating writing into classes in a variety of disciplines and genres.

Descriptions of the sessions follow:

* Morning session (9-11:30am): Enhancing Learning -- and Teaching -- with Writing
Writing in college takes various forms -- from posters, case studies and lab reports to essays, research reports, feasibility studies and slide presentations. Research shows that engaging in such writing and in smaller, informal writing assignments is critical to support student learning. Moreover, when appropriately designed, such writing assignments can help faculty teach better. In this interactive workshop, participants will briefly consider why instructors might use writing in their teaching, then focus on some useful, easily modified ways to do so.   

* Afternoon session (2-4 p.m.): Designing Writing for Learning, for Transfer
This interactive session will focus on three dimensions of writing assignments -- key terms, genre and reflection -- and on ways that they can help faculty design assignments rich in content and good writing. Moreover, by designing writing assignments keyed to these three dimensions, instructors can both help students successfully complete the assigned task and support them in developing a working knowledge of writing that can assist them as they take up new writing tasks.

Purdue faculty, staff and graduate instructors may register at www.training.purdue.edu/Symposium. For more information, contact Dan Guberman at dguberma@purdue.edu.