During the Writing Program’s Fall 2022 workshop, Writing Program Director Megan Little shared the First-Year Writing Learning Outcomes, as well as policy language regarding masking and attendance. These policies are backed by the English Department and can be found here.

Hugh Burkhart, Copley Library’s Coordinator of Instruction and Undergraduate Learning, presented on the ways that Writing Program instructors can integrate the library’s services into their courses. Burkhart serves as the Subject Specialist for First-Year Writing.

After the conclusion of administrative updates, instructors discussed two articles related to the impact of COVID-19 on higher education. The first article, written by Beth McMurtrie, was published in April of 2022 by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Its title was “A ‘Stunning’ Level of Student Disconnection.” The second article, written by Jonathan Malesic, was published by the New York Times in May of 2022. Its title was “My College Students Are Not OK.” Here are a few of the common threads that emerged between the two articles:

• Students and instructors have experienced a significant amount of burnout since the onset of the pandemic.
• There has been an increased need for mental health support among college students over the past few years.
• Instructors are navigating challenges related to finding a balance between two important things: (1) offering flexibility to students as needed, and (2) keeping students engaged and accountable.
• Some professors have cited experiential learning and career-focused curriculum as helpful tools in their classrooms.

Instructors who attended also shared prompts that they assign in their courses, explaining how students responded to these prompts and what made them successful. You can find sample prompts from our First-Year Writing instructors here.