'A Way to Talk about the Institution as Opposed to Just My Field': WAC Fellowships and Graduate Student Professional Development
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| Title: | 'A Way to Talk about the Institution as Opposed to Just My Field': WAC Fellowships and Graduate Student Professional Development |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Cripps, Michael J., Hall, Jonathan, Robinson, Heather M. |
| Source: | Across the Disciplines. Sep 2016 13(3). |
| Availability: | WAC Clearinghouse. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523. Tel: 970-491-3132; Web site: http://wac.colostate.edu |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2016 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research Tests/Questionnaires |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Writing Across the Curriculum, Fellowships, Graduate Students, Professional Development, Student Surveys, Program Effectiveness, Teaching Assistants, Comparative Analysis, Reflection, Career Readiness, Value Added Models, Mentors, Interviews |
| Geographic Terms: | New York (New York) |
| ISSN: | 1554-8244 |
| Abstract: | The teaching assistantship is a venerable model for funding graduate studies, staffing undergraduate courses, and providing pedagogical support for emerging college and university instructors. In this article, we present a variation of this model of graduate student support: the WAC Fellowship at the City University of New York. Using survey data and interviews with former fellows from one CUNY campus, York College, we explore the impact of the WAC Fellowship on their professional development. Our results suggest that the WAC Fellowship does a better job of preparing graduate students for life as faculty members than traditional teaching assistantships for three reasons: the WAC fellowship we studied provides an opportunity for training in and reflection on writing and WAC pedagogy, exposure to the types of service and administrative work that form a significant part of a faculty member's working life, and a structure for mentoring and collaborative learning that allows graduate students to develop as professionals in academe. In addition, the WAC-specific pedagogies woven into the fellowship shape fellows' conceptions of both the value of writing for learning in discipline-based courses and the importance of the writing process. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 21 |
| Entry Date: | 2016 |
| Access URL: | https://wac.colostate.edu/atd/wacta/crippsetal2016.cfm |
| Accession Number: | EJ1118439 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | The teaching assistantship is a venerable model for funding graduate studies, staffing undergraduate courses, and providing pedagogical support for emerging college and university instructors. In this article, we present a variation of this model of graduate student support: the WAC Fellowship at the City University of New York. Using survey data and interviews with former fellows from one CUNY campus, York College, we explore the impact of the WAC Fellowship on their professional development. Our results suggest that the WAC Fellowship does a better job of preparing graduate students for life as faculty members than traditional teaching assistantships for three reasons: the WAC fellowship we studied provides an opportunity for training in and reflection on writing and WAC pedagogy, exposure to the types of service and administrative work that form a significant part of a faculty member's working life, and a structure for mentoring and collaborative learning that allows graduate students to develop as professionals in academe. In addition, the WAC-specific pedagogies woven into the fellowship shape fellows' conceptions of both the value of writing for learning in discipline-based courses and the importance of the writing process. |
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| ISSN: | 1554-8244 |
