UMass Boston

We look forward to seeing you at this year's events!

WAC Faculty Fellows Showcase: January 21, 2027

Presentations by the 2024 WAC Faculty Fellows, outlining their revised course assignments, materials, and pedagogical strategies to incorporate effective, inclusive writing activities will happen again on January 21, 2027. The event will be 10am-12pm on Zoom.

Engaging Practices – A Conference on the Teaching of Composition

It's time again for Engaging Practices! The CFP is forthcoming, so check back here soon for more details.

National Day on Writing: October 20 - 21, 2026

The National Day on Writing celebrates writing—and the many places, reasons, and ways we write each day—as an essential component of literacy. Since 2009, #WhyIWrite has encouraged thousands of people to lift their voices to the things that matter most to them. On Mon Oct 20 and Tues Oct 21 from 11am-3:30pm, there is an event station in the Campus Center, First Floor (near the entrance to the cafeteria) where students will celebrate writing with the Composition Program, University Writing Program, and WAC Program.

Efficient Commenting on Student Writing Workshop: Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Learn how to provide effective feedback on student writing without spending extreme amounts of time. Susan Field, Senior Lecturer in English and Assistant Director of the ESL Program, will lead this workshop on providing quick, timely, and effective feedback on student writing. The workshop will be 2:30-3:30pm and registration is possible up until the day of the workshop by clicking this link: https://umassboston.zoom.us/meeting/register/M2XNDcxLTq6JbYrZD5Esig_

Browse 2024-2026 past events

Research Across the Curriculum: September 28, 2026

UMB librarians Adam Cassell and Jessica Holden held a two-part workshop on incorporating library resources and information literacy into academic courses. The workshop focused on bringing research into any course, from developing research questions to pursuing primary evidence and teaching information primary source literacy. We even got our hands on some library archives!

Inclusive Writing Instruction in STEM and Beyond: April 21, 2026

Heather Falconer offered a workshop for UMB faculty on strategies for writing in the disciplines with specific focus on designing inclusive writing assignments in STEM contexts. Prof. Falconer also provided feedback on redesigned assignments to help UMB faculty meet specific student learning outcomes.

Writing in AI-Infused Landscapes Workshop: April 9, 2026

In this two-part workshop, Laurie Pinkert led UMB faculty in exploring the implications of AI disclosure statements for teaching writing across the curriculum. Professor Pinkert lead participants through a session to think about if/how to structure AI disclosure statements in their writing assignments and, later, provided feedback on the redesigned statements and assignments submitted by UMB faculty.

WAC Faculty Fellows Showcase: January 22, 2026

Presentations by the 2025 WAC Faculty Fellows, outlining their revised course assignments, materials, and pedagogical strategies to incorporate effective, inclusive writing activities occurred on January 22, 2026.

National Day on Writing: October 20 - 21, 2025

The National Day on Writing celebrates writing—and the many places, reasons, and ways we write each day—as an essential component of literacy. Since 2009, #WhyIWrite has encouraged thousands of people to lift their voices to the things that matter most to them. On Mon,Oct 20 and Tues, Oct 21 from 11am-3:30pm, there was an event station in the Campus Center where students celebrated writing with the Composition Program and WAC Program.

Designing AI-Engaged Assignments to Teach Disciplinary Knowledge: A Workshop with Dr. Chris Basgier (Auburn University)
Tuesday, April 22, 2025

In this workshop, Christopher Basgier introduced ways to adapt the pedagogies of writing-to-learn and writing-to-engage in the age of genAI. He led participants through a structured process of identifying disciplinary concepts that students struggle to learn and helped faculty develop AI-engaged activities that can help students deepen their understanding of those concepts.

Dimensions of Critical Thinking in AI-Engaged Writing Assignments with Dr. Chris Basgier (Auburn University)- April 1, 2025

Many faculty across the curriculum are rightly concerned that generative artificial intelligence (genAI) applications will interrupt the opportunities for critical thinking promised by well-designed writing assignments. In this talk, Basgier argued that genAI-engaged writing assignments can elicit critical thinking of students, provided these assignments turn the technology itself into an object of inquiry.

Engaging Practices Conference: March 29, 2025

The UMB-sponsored free, bi-ennial conference on the teaching of writing, Engaging Practices, was held on March 29, 2025. The event provided an opportunity for researchers, educators, tutors, program administrators, and students to develop and share knowledge on writing pedagogy, program administration, and composition research.

The 2025 conference featured a keynote plenary session led by Dr. Ira Allen, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies at Northern Arizona University and author of Panic Now?: Tools for Humanizing (2024, University of Tennessee Press).

WAC Faculty Fellows Showcase: January 22, 2025

Presentations by the 2024 WAC Faculty Fellows, outlining their revised course assignments, materials, and pedagogical strategies to incorporate effective, inclusive writing activities occurred on January 22, 2025.

2024 WAC Faculty Fellows Info Session - April 24, 2024

To learn more about the WAC Faculty Fellows program, faculty joined us for this WAC Info Session on Wednesday, April 24, from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., in the CLA Humanities Hub located on the eighth floor of the Healey Library (and participated remotely via Zoom).

Labor-Based Grading Workshop - April 10, 2024

UMB faculty who want to reduce the emotional toll of grading student writing and other activities have been collaborating on a multi-year study of a new approach. Susan Field, Brittanie Weatherbie-Greco, Dan Messier, and Brittany Peterson shared how this new approach might work to cultivate antiracist values and enable success for students of all backgrounds in your classroom. This Zoom-based panel was jointly sponsored by the FSU, the WAC Program, and the Department of English.