The UCWbL is for everyone, and in embodying the value of “collaboration” that is at the heart of our mission, the Workshops team is central to creating a community of writers across the university. On our team, we work with professors from any department to combine our writing expertise with their disciplinary expertise. We plan, develop, and facilitate customized, interactive workshops on a wide variety of writing skills. Whether students need guidance in formatting their thesis statements, need help editing the CSS for their Digication portfolios, have questions about how to use commas, or need strategies for how to compile an effective resume and cover letter, we are here to help!
You may be wondering, how much impact can one team really have? In Autumn Quarter 2016, our team of 10 people facilitated nearly 100 workshops and worked with over 2,000 students in the process! The topics of our workshops included: Digication, Citations, Peer Review, Thesis Projects, Group Work, Resumes/CVs, Applications, Personal Statements, Literature Reviews, Business Emails, White Papers, Visual Rhetoric, Writing Process, Writing Center Presentations and other specialized subjects.
You may be wondering, how does this all happen? The lifecycle of a workshop follows these steps:
Step 1: A professor requests a workshop.
Step 2: The Coordinator and the professor have a consultation to discuss the goals for the workshop.
Step 3: The Coordinator and the Graduate Assistants develop materials that meet the professor’s goals for the workshop.
Step 4: Workshop Facilitators prepare to lead the workshop.
Step 5: Workshop Facilitators lead the workshop.
Step 6: Workshop Facilitators collect and review professor and student feedback on the workshop, and summarize it in our records for future reference.
The road from a professor requesting a workshop to successful workshop facilitation and reflection is the product of an engaged and eager team from start to finish!
The Workshops Team does not only benefit the students that we work with, but also the peer writing tutors that serve as team members and workshop facilitators. Leading a workshop is a chance to put your public speaking fears behind you and gain confidence with speaking in front of a group. If you are preparing for a career in teaching, or any other discipline that involves facilitating groups of people, the Workshops Team is a chance to hone these skills in a safe, supportive environment. Our team includes a Workshops coordinator, two Graduate Assistants and many experienced peer writing tutors who are always available to help each other problem solve. Ultimately, it is our goal to continually improve our skills and refine our resources in order to provide the most effective and engaging workshops possible.
If you’re a professor at DePaul who is interested in requesting a workshop, you can do so at the following link: http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/programs-workshops-request-a-workshop.html
One reply on “What’s Up with The Workshops Team?”
Since I’ve never been on the Workshops team, I wasn’t familiar with the process of setting one up. I actually didn’t even realize how thought-out each step is. Also, it sounds like an awesome way for tutors to get comfortable speaking in front of groups. Thanks for sharing 🙂