University Libraries helped support National Day on Writing for third year
Left to right: Writing Across the Curriculum Director Aimee Mapes; Librarian Leslie Sult; UCATT Assistant Professor of Practice Emily Jo Schwaller
University Libraries staff and faculty supported events for this year’s National Day on Writing® (NDW) celebration with campus partners the Office of General Education and the University Center for Teaching, Assessment and Technology (UCATT).
The National Council of Teachers of English established October 20 as NDW to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life. Since 2021, we've helped support NDW celebrations on campus.
This year's event was the largest to date and included a Writing & Pizza party for students, space to write, research help, support from Writing Center THINK TANK tutors, and of course, free pizza!
Michelle Halla, Assistant Librarian, and Leslie Sult, Librarian, and Graduate Students Ryann Squires and Megan Ashcraft, provided research help and managed multiple spaces for students, including a bullet journaling station and talk-back board.
Faculty and instructors could attend a Praxis Panel with former fellows in the CATalyst Studios Data Studio. The panel featured Writing Across the Curriculum Faculty Fellows sharing strategies for equitable writing instruction. Praxis Core tests are used by colleges and universities to evaluate candidates who want to enter teacher preparation programs.
An Instructor Workshop was also held in the Data Studio where Librarian Nicole Pagowsky offered support to faculty across campus by focusing on effective instructional design, and "scaffolding" research assignments – which is a teaching technique that provides students with temporary support to help them learn new concepts and skills.