A partnership between the University Writing and Speaking Center (UWSC) and the Writing and Speaking in the Disciplines (WSID) Program, the WSI Fellows program pairs experienced fellows–undergraduates trained to consult on writing and speaking assignments–with your students to support one writing or presentation assignment in your course. We have supported assignments, faculty and students across disciplines, including biology, education, English, community health sciences, psychology and marketing.
Requirements for partnering your course with the WSI Fellows Program
To be eligible to work with the Writing and Speaking Initiative Fellows Program, you must meet the following requirements:
- Teaching a course that emphasizes writing or presentations (in any discipline!)
- Available to communicate regularly with your assigned fellow(s) and fellows’ staff to discuss assignment requirements and course goals
- Have no more than 45 students enrolled in the course
- Willing to add WSI fellows graduate student assistant directors to your canvas course and allow them to communicate with students regarding fellows appointments
- Willing to make changes to your course syllabus to account for the feedback and revision processes that students will engage in with WSI fellow(s)
- Assign the project at least 25% of the total course grade; student interaction with WSI fellow(s) must be part of the grade
Faculty benefits
- Supports instructors with assignment development to help mitigate challenges students face during the assignment completion process
- Embeds individualized writing and presentation support into the course
- Assists instructors in communicating the importance and benefits of writing and presenting skills to students
“I cannot say enough great things about the Writing and Speaking Fellows program. The fellows were fantastic and offered clear, achievable advice to my students. The program also made me think more clearly about my own goals within my assignment and led me to restructure it in a way that was so much more valuable to my students and easier to grade for me! I will definitely use this program again and highly recommend everyone try it.”
-Brittany Avila, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
Student benefits
- Provides students with supportive outside readers during their drafting processes
- Builds student confidence with writing and presenting, and expanding their familiarity with University Writing & Speaking Center resources
- Brings students’ writing- and speaking-related concerns and challenges to the attention of course instructors
“I like how the Fellow can take more time to focus on my individual work. Professors don’t often go into detail or give comprehensive feedback. It was also great to be able to talk about our draft, rather than just receive one-sided comments. These aspects would be very helpful in some other UNR courses.”
-Anonymous undergraduate student, Marketing
Fellow benefits
- Deepens their experience supporting a range of disciplines and kinds of writing and speaking assignments
- Provides invaluable professionalizing experiences through work with program administrators and course instructors and students across disciplines
- Reveals the ways consulting work can extend beyond and inform University Writing and Speaking Center consultations
“I think what I find most valuable about my Fellows experience would be the opportunity to develop ongoing relationships with students and professors. I feel that it enmeshes the UWSC within the university’s community–students and professors experience our work with us, rather than having only a vague idea of who we are at the UWSC and what we do.”
-Jaxson, Writing Fellow, English Literature major, Psychology minor