Creating Connections 2021

The Creating Connections symposium on writing pedagogy is back this year with two remote workshops during Week 8. Our concept for this year, Back to Normal, challenges the notion that there was ever a “normal” where writing and language instruction is concerned, and it’s also intended as a provocation to think beyond our habitual practices as we return to campus next year. Session 1 will focus on creating and assessing multimodal assignments, and Session 2 will focus on community building and collaborative learning. Both sessions will center antiracist student-driven pedagogy. We will also have a brief mixer after session 2 where participants will be invited to share favorite pandemic teaching practices to take with us post-pandemic.

As always, this symposium is free and open to all members of the UCLA community.

Session 1

Creating and Assessing Multimodal Assignments

Wednesday, May 19th 12-1:30pm PDT

This workshop will serve as introduction and inspiration to incorporating multimodal assignments into any classroom. We will discuss the what, why, and how of crafting and grading multimodal projects. Workshop attendees will see a variety of examples from real courses in languages, STEM, humanities, and writing. Participants will also have time to brainstorm ways to incorporate multimodality into their classes. Feel free to bring ideas, questions, syllabi/assignments you’d like to workshop, or just show up and see where the discussion takes you! This whole session will be recorded except for breakout rooms.

For more information, click here to view the Session 1 website.

Workshop leaders:

Bethany Schiffman

(European Languages and Transcultural Studies)

Marilyn Love

(Near Eastern Languages & Cultures)

Session 2

Community Building & Collaborative Learning

Thursday, May 20th 12-1:30pm PDT

*bonus community mixer from 1:30-2:00pm: share your favorite pandemic teaching practices! 

Classes during the pandemic have been places of community for students who might not have had as much access to community. This collaborative workshop will explore how and why our classes can carry forward this reinvigorated focus on community learning. We will consider questions including: Why is collaboration valuable? How can we design more collaborative classes and classrooms? What principles can guide us in bringing students together as members of a learning community? A series of lightning talks will give examples of how to put these principles of collaboration to work in redesigning syllabi, course policies, writing assignments, rubrics and reflections, etc. Participants will then have time to brainstorm ways to incorporate these principles into future classes. We will record the initial lightning talks, but not the breakout rooms or subsequent discussion/mixer.

For more information, click here to view the Session 2 padlet.

Workshop leaders:

Rebecca Chhay

Vanessa Febo

Spencer Robins

Arielle Stambler

(English Department)

Thanks to:

Our wonderful Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy workshop leaders;

Patrick Bonczyk, Peggy Davis, and Jeremy Kelley for help planning this event;

and Nicolette Gelnak for help with this site!