REQUIREMENTS
Preferred qualifications: Experience as a writing consultant at a university writing center.
Required qualifications: BA and acceptance into an IUPUI graduate program. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in ENG-W597: Writing Center Theory & Practice or equivalent training at time of employment.
If you are interested in taking ENG-W597: Writing Center Theory & Practice and/or applying for a graduate assistantship in the UWC, please contact Director Lynn Jettpace at ljettpac@iu.edu.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Graduate Consultants may work as hourly employees (6-20 hours/week) or as Graduate Assistants (on a 20-hour weekly appointment) in the UWC. All consultants will serve on a Committee for 10-20% of their total hours. All consultants provide one-to-one consulting with writers of all abilities on writing across the curriculum. Writing consultants assist writers with analysis, research, organization, and development. They model writing and revising strategies and encourage writers to experiment with these strategies. Writing consultants act as sounding boards for writing ideas, and help writers overcome anxieties and build confidence in their writing. Graduate Assistants will be expected to engage in projects and professional development activities that sustain UWC programming as well as one-to-one consulting in the UWC.
EXPECTATIONS
- Engage in a long-term project. All projects require secondary research but may focus primarily on either curriculum/teaching (e.g. developing a workshop or new program for the UWC) or primary research (e.g. conducting IRB research on some aspect of UWC programming).
- Provide one-to-one consulting with writers of all abilities on writing across the curriculum. Writing consultants assist writers with analysis, research, organization, and development. They model writing and revising strategies and encourage writers to experiment with these strategies. Writing consultants act as sounding boards for writing ideas and help writers overcome anxieties and build confidence in their writing.
- Support and mentor other consultants
- Answer questions about writing, documentation, resources, research, and the UWC’s programming, philosophy, and pedagogy
- Introduce the UWC to students by visiting classrooms and taking part in University welcome and orientation events
- Facilitate small group and classroom workshops covering various writing strategies and concerns, including but not limited to writing process, thesis-driven writing, and citation style
- Engage significantly in a Program/Committee responsible for sustaining the quality of UWC programming and services
- Communicate regularly with Program/Committee Coordinator
- Contribute in the intellectual community of the UWC by furthering knowledge of writing center practice and theory through sustained inquiry
- Cooperate with all assessment efforts
- Contribute to the maintenance of the UWC space and community through clerical duties such as answering the phone, assisting students in need of UWC information, and tidying the workspace
- Communicate with the Director and Assistant Director regularly
- Attend and engage in bi-weekly UWC professional development including orientation, staff meetings, etc.
- Check and respond to email regularly
- Follow all policies as outlined in the UWC Consultant Handbook
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Graduate Consultants are encouraged to apply for leadership positions. Consultants selected for leadership roles are expected to attend regular Leadership Team meetings.
- Program/Committee Coordinator: Each of the UWC’s committees is led by a Committee Coordinator who serves on the Leadership Team. Committee Coordinators create timelines for committee projects, lead committee meetings, delegate committee work, attend leadership meetings, and generally act as project managers for all committee-related projects. Ideally, Committee Coordinator will serve in the position for at least one academic year.
- W397/597 Liaison: The primary purpose of this role is support students enrolled in the writing center education course arrange for observation and co-consulting experiences in the UWC. This role requires regular meetings with the Director, attending several class meetings of the course throughout the fall semester.
- Administrative Support: On occasion, the Director and/or Assistant Director will advertise the need for semester-long administrative support, which may include tasks such as tracking WC research presentations, organizing files/data, supporting scheduling, reviewing and revising workshop materials, and/or updating UWC resources.
