Giving useful feedback to students about their writing can often be just as challenging for faculty as it is for the students doing the work.
Writing Support faculty and staff provide several types of support for AU faculty:
Events and workshops for you and your students to attend, in addition to the capacity to build custom workshops for your courses and students
Writing resources that you can share with your students or use in your lesson planning
Visits to your classes to explain our services or teach specific skills, including peer review strategies
One-to-One Consultations for developing written assignments for your classes or for planning substantive changes and new program or course proposals
The resources below cover some of the best practices for planning your courses in equitable ways and encouraging writers to improve.
Principles of Constructive Feedback
Maryellen Weimer lays out four key things to keep in mind when giving feedback on writing.
Ways of Supporting International Writers
Two ideas from the literature to help international students learn the rules of American Academic discourse
Responding Online
This article by Ben Rafoth addresses some best practices for giving written feedback on writing, especially the writing of English Language Learners.
Helpful Techniques for Multiple Types of Learners
Ways to understand learning styles and use them to your advantage during writing and research
Workshop Activity & Example Prompts for Reflection/Reaction Papers
Workshop: Designing Clear Assignment Instructions
"About Responding to Student Writing" by Peter Elbow
A successful writing teacher offers suggestions on how to target feedback to students
Common Terminology Used in Assignment Instructions
Analyze – take apart and look at something closely
Compare – look for similarities and differences; stress similarities
Contrast – look for differences and similarities; stress differences
Critique – point out both positive and negative aspects
Define – explain exactly what something means
Describe – show what something looks like, including physical features
Discuss – explore an issue from all sides: implies wide latitude
Evaluate – make a value judgement according to some criteria (which it would be wise to make clear)
Explain – clarify or interpret how something works or happens
Illustrate – show by means of example, picture, or diagram
Interpret – translate how or why; implies some subjective judgement
Justify – argue in support of something; to find positive reasons
List – order facts, attributes, or items in sequence
Outline – organize according to hierarchy and/or category
Prove – demonstrate correctness by use of logic, fact, or example
Review – reexamine the main points or highlights of something
State – assert with confidence
Summarize – pull together the main points
Synthesize – combine or pull together pieces or concepts
Trace – present an outline or show a sequence or how or why something occurs or happens
*Developed by the Antioch Virtual Writing Center
Here are some tools that you can use when you are drafting and self-editing to avoid unintentional harm and reduce bias in your own writing and in the feedback you offer students.
APA Style Guidelines:
APA 7 Bias-Free Language Guidelines [e.g., writing about gender, racial & ethnic identity, etc.]
AUSB Writing Center handout on APA 7 Bias-Free Language Guidelines
Educational Resources:
Looking to expand your knowledge about equitable and just writing assignments and linguistic justice? Here are some quick readings or videos that you can use to educate yourself about language, privilege, and why language choices matter.
Readings
5 Types of Privilege related to Language [by Melissa A. Fabello, Everyday Feminism]
Articles about AAVE (African American Vernacular English) [from Anti-Racism Daily website]
Memo To People Of Earth: 'Third World' Is An Offensive Term! [by Marc Silver, NPR)]
8 Harmful Examples of Standard American English Privilege [by Andrew Hernandez, Everyday Feminism]
Mock Spanish: One Type of Racism In American English [by Jane Hill, linguist]
Libguides for Antiracism Readings and Resources [Antioch Libraries]
Presentations/Videos
3 Ways to Speak English [by Jamila Lyiscott, TED Talks]
Reducing Bias in Writing: Recognizing Language that Can Harm [AUSB workshop Google Slides]
The Classist and Racist History of Academic Language [47 min. video from AU New England – must be signed into Antioch acct.]
The Classist and Racist History of Academic Language [PowerPoint from AU New England]