Writing Across Institutions (WAI)

WAI History

Since 2009, Appalachian State University's Writing Across the Curriculum Program has sponsored an annual Writing Across Institutions (WAI) conference to support community college faculty by providing them access to best practices in the teaching of writing, scholars from the field, and an opportunity to meet in conversation with other NC community college and Appalachian faculty. Appalachian’s WAC Program was designed to create opportunities for faculty to connect writing program goals and outcomes in order to better serve students, and the WAI conference extends that conversation to community college faculty in order to help strengthen instruction for transfer students.  WAI participants use the information and relationships gained at this event to better design and implement writing instruction that encourages student success and transfer across institutions. To get on our mailing list for more info about WAI, please contact Kelly Terzaken at terzakenks@appstate.edu.

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2025

REGISTER NOW! for this year's Writing Across Institutions conference will be on March 28, 2024 from 9am - 4pm. We're excited to feature Dr. April Baker-Bell from the University of Michigan. You can view the day's agenda, presentation descriptions, and other shared resources on the WAI 2025 website

Dr. April Baker-Bell's morning talk, "Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy" will discuss how anti-Black linguistic racism and white linguistic supremacy get normalized in teacher attitudes, curriculum and instruction, pedagogical approaches, disciplinary discourses, and research, and she will discuss the impact these decisions have on Black students’ language education and their linguistic, racial, and intellectual identities. Dr. Baker-Bell will introduce a new way forward through Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy, a pedagogical approach that intentionally and unapologetically places Black Language at the center to critically interrogate white linguistic hegemony and anti-Black linguistic racism. Her afternoon workshop, "Linguistic Justice: From Theory to Praxis" deepens Linguistic Justice practice with an interactive session that supports participants in thinking about how to integrate the ideas from Linguistic Justice into their curriculum and instruction. This guided workshop will include activity-based exercises, such as reflection/preflection activities, syllabus design, and strategies for teaching. Workshops come with a digital workbook that participants can download to continue to learn from.

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2024

REGISTER NOW! for this year's Writing Across Institutions conference will be on April 12, 2024 from 9am - 4pm. We're excited to feature Britney Smith from Wilson Community College and a panel of writing in the disciplines faculty from Appalachian State. You can view the day's agenda, presentation descriptions, and other shared resources on the WAI 2024 website

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2023

This year's Writing Across Institutions conference will be on April 14, 2023 from 9am - 4pm. We're excited to feature Michelle LaFrance from George Mason University and a panel of writing in the disciplines faculty from Appalachian State. To view the day's agenda, presentation descriptions, and other shared resources, please visit the WAI 2023 website

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2025

REGISTER NOW! for this year's Writing Across Institutions conference will be on March 28, 2024 from 9am - 4pm. We're excited to feature Dr. April Baker-Bell from the University of Michigan. You can view the day's agenda, presentation descriptions, and other shared resources on the WAI 2025 website [link coming soon]. 

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2021

WAI 2021 was held on Friday, March 26. We featured a morning workshop on Emotional Labor led by Georgia Rhoades and an afternoon workshop on Online Writing Instruction led by Jessie Borgman and Casey McArdle. Both sessions were recorded, and the recordings were made available to registerered participants after the event. 

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2020

While the face-to-face WAI Conference had to be canceled due to COVID-19, we enjoyed a virtual RISE session with Dr. Davonna Thomas and Ashley Ess from Coastal Carolina Community College. Their presentation, which addressed the transition center and the co-requisite course, can be viewed below. You can also read our notes from the session here

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2018

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2017

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2016

Writing Across Institutions (WAI) 2015

Dr. Zawacki, "WAC-Focused Composition: Research and Practice towards Preparing Rhetorically Aware Student Writers"

Sample student paper on Outsourcing [Google doc] used for Dr. Zawacki's workshop