Teaching writing requires planning, reflection, and then some more planning. Just as we teach our students that strong writers revise their work, strong instructors revise their assignments and lesson plans to improve their teaching. As you reflect and revise, the Center for Writing is here to support you.
The "Sounding Board Session" is a great resource for faculty interested in discussing their own writing and research. During the Spring 2024 semester, sessions are offered every Friday from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. in Dinand 210 (drop-in and by appointment.)
We are also pleased to co-sponsor with Amanda Luyster on faculty writing groups (Shut Up and Write affinity and peer groups). For more information or to sign up for a writing group, please contact centerforwriting@holycross.edu
However, we understand that sometimes it is easier to access resources quickly online. Navigate these links to find useful articles, ideas, and tools, including open-access textbooks that you can excerpt for your students. Check out the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing to start, and let us know if there are other topics or links you'd like to see represented below.
Internal Resources for Teaching Writing
The Faculty Pedagogical Resources Canvas site includes video and text resources on equity and inclusion, academic integrity and writing with sources, course design, educational technology, evaluation and feedback, and teaching techniques. For access to this site, please email centerforwriting@holycross.edu.
External Resources for Teaching Writing
- 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing, from the National Writing Project.
- MLA Style Center, which features a range of short, practice-oriented columns on teaching writing, including this one from former Associate Director Kristina Reardon on adopting writing center practices in the classroom.
- Pedagogue is a podcast where teachers talk about teaching writing. It features conversations from some of the best scholars in composition and rhetoric, but the dialogues are accessible and relevant for all. Transcripts are available on the site.
- Teaching & Learning in Higher Ed, a blog that frequently features entries from writing professionals.
- The Teaching Professor blog, which occasionally features posts on teaching writing.
- The Web of Language, from Dennis Baron at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- The Writing Campus blog, from George Mason University.
Valued Practices for Online Teaching and Learning
- Bill Hart-Davidson created a 45-minute video on moving student-centered learning online.
- Daniel Stanford at DePaul University has linked to remote-teaching resources at various colleges. It's quite the list and getting longer. Colleges have been adding their own resources in this Google Doc.
- Resources are also available from Indiana University.
- Eli Review, a robust peer-feedback/peer-learning resource developed by Michael McLeod, Bill Hart-Davidson, and Jeff Grabill.
- San Francisco State University, the Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning put together some best practices videos for using Eli Review.
Citation Style Guides
First and foremost, we recommend the Holy Cross Library Style Guides & Statement on Academic Integrity.
- Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide
- Council of Scientific Editors (CSE) quick guide from Washington State
- Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Center's Quick Guide
- Purdue OWL's research guide, including guidance on APA, MLA, Chicago, and AMA styles.
- Quick answers on APA
- Quick tips for ASA
Helpful handouts and lesson plans related to teaching students to integrate sources effectively can be found at Colorado State University's Writing Studio as well as the University of Michigan's Sweetland Writing Center. Piedmont Virginia Community College also has helpful information.
Grammar & Style Resources
- Blogs students can easily use and understand: Grammarly and Oxford Dictionaries grammar blog.
- InQuizitive for Writers, an interactive online grammar platform from Norton. Students can register for a 21-day free trial.
- National Council of Teachers of English's resolution on grammar exercises and some questions and answers about grammar .
- Purdue OWL Grammar Exercises, explanations of a few key stylistic and grammatical issues.
Open Access Texts & Textbooks
- Writing Spaces, a collection of essays on a variety of writing topics written by writing scholars for students.
- Colorado State University Press, which publishes open-access texts on writing and reading that you could use or excerpt to help students build specific skills.
- WAC Clearinghouse, which publishes numerous books, some of which are open-access, about teaching writing.
- Writing Commons, a student-facing site with chapters and advice on the process of writing, as well as specific genres. Its writing guides and links for writers can assist you (or your students) as you teach particular writing skills.