WSU WORD Fellows
WORD: Writing Occurring Rhetorically in the Disciplines
The Word Fellows program supports faculty across the disciplines in their efforts to teach students to write more effectively in their courses and their major, while also promoting deep learning of disciplinary content in the process. Workshops will be led by a variety of faculty experts and will emphasize innovative approaches and research-based best practices.
This program compensates faculty for participating in the series and for building a faculty or departmentally-determined deliverable for subsequent implementation into classroom instruction. Cohorts usually consist of approximately 10 faculty from different disciplines who participate in a 12-part series of 75-minute experiential workshops.
WORD Learning Outcomes
Through participation in WORD, faculty will learn a variety of approaches for teaching writing, including:
- Developing a research-informed writing pedagogy based on best practices in Writing Studies
- Exploring low-stakes writing as opportunity for writing to learn activities
- Practicing formative and summative assessment of writing that aligns with assignment purpose
- Considering assessment approaches based on genre, discipline, and assignment outcomes
- Using Best Practices for Peer Review
- Exploring practical ways to encourage revision
- Collaborating with faculty from across the university
- Inviting other perspectives and experiences into your ongoing practice of teaching / teaching with writing
- Designing a writing-intensive course, scaffolded assignment, AI policy, or other product desired by faculty member or department
2026 WORD Program Details
The 2026 WORD Fellows program will begin at the end ofJanuary. We are inviting all faculty on all campuses to apply.
- Weekly gatherings (in-person and/or on Zoom) from the end of January to the end of April, meeting time TBD
- No “homework” between meetings, but rather an expectation of ongoing reflection
- Open to anyone who uses writing in their curricula or who wants to integrate writing into their courses
- Stipend earned through attendance at all sessions and completion of a faculty-determined deliverable