What's New (Upcoming Workshops, etc.)

Kingsborough is fortunate to have the services of six doctoral candidates from the Graduate Center (CUNY) to assist the WAC program. Called Writing Fellows, the graduate students function in a variety of different roles, consistently supporting and encouraging WAC principles in a community college environment. KBCC encourages graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines to apply for a Writing Fellow position, allowing the program to draw on the riches of a cross-disciplinary community.

The Writing Fellows for Spring 2006 are:Stephen Amico, Jennifer Beakes, Wendy Galgan and Masha Lankovsky.

Below is an outline of the main responsibilities of a KBCC Writing Fellow:

1. Consultancy work with faculty: Fellows are assigned to a specific department/course at Kingsborough and will be expected to learn as much as possible about the literacy practices that characterize that area. Each Fellow will work individually with two faculty who are seeking certification in Writing-Across-the-Curriculum. Through ongoing conversations about the course, Fellow and faculty member consider assignment design in the context of the professor’s goals. Fellows attend class and meet regularly with the faculty member. Their ultimate goal is to help faculty complete their certification packets, due March 1 st, 2006.
   
   
2. The Assignment Lab: In addition to observing students in class, Fellows also work with students from their courses (and others) during one-on-one sessions in the Reading and Writing Center. This work gives them a window on the student perspective of learning in the course. For each session, Fellows complete a short report, keeping a copy on file, and sending one to the faculty member whose student was served. In addition, Fellows photocopy assignments and student work to bring to meetings for discussion. A student consent form is provided.
   
   
3. Service to the KCC WAC Program as a whole: In addition to their work with individual faculty and students, Fellows are expected to take on and shape one project that serves the interests of the program as a whole. Possibilities include representing the KCC WAC program on the Fellows Council; working on program assessment (surveys/SPSS); organizing our WAC Resource Room; creating an annotated bibliography of WAC materials for a specific program; presenting workshops; working on a publication. These projects may be undertaken collaboratively or individually.
   
   
4. Meetings: Fellows can expect to attend the following:

• Regular KCC Writing Fellow meetings to share experiences
• Monthly KCC WAC Faculty Seminar meetings
• Monthly Writing Intensive faculty meetings
• CUNY Writing Fellows meetings at the Graduate Center

Writing Fellows will also have access to our WAC resource room and numerous articles about theory and practice in WAC. Ongoing reading and research will be part of the weekly work load. Note that hours spent in professional development at the Graduate Center or on reading and research should also be entered on weekly time sheets.

Fellows are encouraged to immerse themselves as much as possible in the culture of the community college. Surrounded on three sides by the ocean at the tip of Manhattan Beach, KBCC attracts an extremely diverse student population, including a large number of non-native speakers. The college is able to offer Writing Fellows an invaluable “insider” experience into an exciting and constantly developing academic community.