Thurnau Professors Discuss Writing in Their Classes
Arthur F. Thurnau Professors know how integral writing is to undergraduate education. In interviews with Sweetland, these professors -- rewarded for their excellence in undergraduate teaching -- frequently emphasized the importance of writing. Read the complete profiles to learn how these educators teach writing in their classes.
Instructor Support
Sweetland offers a variety of support and services for faculty and GSIs across the University. We gladly consult individually with instructors and visit classrooms as well as departments for workshops and training tailored to instructor and classroom needs. We consult regularly on a variety of topics, such as:
- responding effectively to and evaluating student writing, both in drafts and in final versions;
- working with multilingual students;
- designing and sequencing writing and research assignments;
- developing a course that meets the Upper-Level Writing Requirement;
- reviewing grammar, mechanics, and style issues;
- integrating technology into the classroom;
- designing and evaluating online course projects; and
- citing sources and preventing plagiarism.
Click below for more information..
Sweetland offers Writing Workshop to assist undergraduate and graduate students with their writing assignments. Peer Tutoring, our Online Writing Lab (OWL), and our Synchronous Online Writing Lab (SyncOWL) are also available for undergraduate students. Click here for more information.
Instructor consultations
To help instructors achieve their aims in teaching student writing, Sweetland offers individual consultations in any area of writing pedagogy of interest to the instructor. To schedule a consultation, please email sweetlandinfo@umich.edu.
Presentations and workshops in the classroom
Sweetland offers workshops that deal with common and more specialized issues in writing. We tailor all workshops to meet specific classroom needs. Additionally, our brief informational classroom visits introduce your students to Sweetland writing support services. To request a workshop or informational visit, please email sweetlandinfo@umich.edu.
Presentations and workshops for departments and programs
In an effort to support quality writing across the University, our workshops for departments and programs prepare faculty and GSIs to respond to common challenges and develop new skills that facilitate the teaching of writing, and they introduce students in special UM programs to the writing skills they will need. Additionally, our informational visits to department and program events introduce and facilitate Sweetland student writing support services. To request a workshop or informational visit, please email sweetlandinfo@umich.edu.
Sweetland is responsible for approving courses that meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Here instructors can learn the steps to propose or renew an ULWR course. We can also help with designing a course, creating assignments for an existing course, or adapting a current course to meet the ULWR criteria. Additionally, Sweetland teaches WRITING 993, a one-credit, hands-on workshop that helps prepare GSIs for teaching in Upper-Level Writing Requirement courses.
Sweetland is responsible for approving courses that meet the First-Year Writing Requirement. Sweetland offers a variety of information for FYWR instructors, including suggestions for sequencing course assignment, providing feedback on student writing, and using the Directed Self-Placement essay in your course.
Learn more about student and instructor goals for the DSP, how to get involved in the DSP process and find ways to integrate first-year students' DSP essays into your WRITING 100, WRITING 120 or FYWR courses. Please click here to find many useful resources about the DSP process, including Instructor FAQs.
The Sweetland Fellows Seminar, offered during the Winter Term, brings together faculty (Senior Fellows) and graduate students (Junior Fellows) who share a commitment to integrating writing into their courses.
This list provides links to useful writing tools, such as printable handouts, podcasts, and a bibliography of online writing resources.
This lending library houses journals and books related to writing and writing pedagogy. All university faculty, GSIs, and students are invited to use the library, located inside the Sweetland Center for Writing, in 1310 North Quad. Email Laura Schuyler with questions about Sweetland's lending library. Click here for more information about our library.
Sweetland regularly receives requests for individual writing support and editorial services from faculty, staff, and other non-student members of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor communities. Unfortunately, we are not funded to provide this type of support, but we do maintain a small list of Sweetland faculty who may be able to assist on a freelance basis. To inquire about the availability of freelance services, please email sweetlandinfo@umich.edu.
