Most UCWbLers may know or remember that Writing Groups Leaders do a lot of work with adult students from the School for New Learning. As part of our continuing efforts to reach out to SNL students, the Writing Groups will again offer several Advanced Project and Independent Learning Pursuit Forums at the suburban and Loop campuses this quarter. The Advanced Project and Independent Learning Pursuit assignments are unique to the School for New Learning and completing them can be somewhat complicated and daunting. The forums are designed to demystify the assignments and provide a space to discuss ideas, troubleshoot, and receive feedback. This is the official blurb about the forums:
“These forums allow SNL Writers to discuss their AP and ILP projects with other students, Writing Tutors, SNL faculty, and a research librarian. Because writers at all stages of their projects are welcome, these forums are great opportunities to share tips and get advice about these critical components of the SNL program.” –Edward Evins, Writing Groups Coordinator
All of that is certainly true and the forums are great opportunities for SNL writers, but I would argue that a majority of the forums’ greatness stems from their contribution to the Writing Groups’ and the UCWbL’s mission of helping students to meaningfully enter and sustain an ongoing conversation about writing with their peers. I have facilitated multiple forums and I continue to be (pleasantly) surprised about how little I actually have to speak during the event. In the AP and ILP Forums, writers take the lead in a roundtable discussion, sharing their respective experiences with the assignments, offering insider information, asking questions, and helping each other get from where they currently are in an assignment to where they want to be. SNL writers are all adult students and most have family and work commitments that render it nearly impossible to take advantage of community-building activities outside of the classroom. For these students who may not have frequent opportunities to network with peers, troubleshoot writing projects, or meet people within the college, the AP and ILP Forums also serve an important social function of connecting SNL students to each other and the DePaul learning community.
Upcoming forums will be held on the following dates, times, and locations:
Advanced Project Forum:
Naperville 10/15 12 to 1:30 Room 220
Loop 10/24 4 to 5:30 Lewis 1600
Independent Learning Pursuit Forum:
O’Hare 10/8 12 to 1:30 Room 307
If you’re interested in participating as a tutor or learning more about how you can get involved, please contact Edward at writinggroups@depaul.edu, and don’t forget to recommend these forums in tutorials with SNL students!