Faculty Services & Resources
![Steve Heydemann teaching](https://archive.smith.edu/sites/default/files/media/Documents/Jacobson-Center/jacobson_faculty_pagetop.jpg)
At the Jacobson Center, we offer faculty support through workshops on the teaching of writing, a mid-semester assessment program, individual consultation on classroom issues, and an array of additional resources on teaching and learning. In addition, we provide helpful links to several online teaching resources.
Teaching WI Courses: Recommendations from the Writing and Public Discourse Committee
Smith has a long tradition of valuing writing as an essential capacity in the liberal arts, so much so that we created a Writing Intensive (WI) Requirement in our otherwise open curriculum. We recognize that writing is thinking, that writing is a tool and a process as much as it is an outcome, and that becoming a stronger writer is an ever-evolving, lifelong pursuit. Recently we have also broadened our understanding of college writing to include public-facing writing presented in print and in digital platforms, in addition to traditional scholarly work.
Peer Review Guide
We offer advice and guidance on peer review along with actual examples of and procedures for several approaches to peer review.
Effective Feedback Strategies for Busy People
The following documents were presented during a Teaching Arts Luncheon (October 25, 2019).
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON GIVING FEEDBACK
Teaching Writing
Use the button below to access the materials for this course on Moodle.
Marking Papers
Please access the materials using the button below.
Teaching Writing Online: Tips for Faculty
The following document offers helpful advice when transitioning in-person courses to an online environment.
TEACHING WRITING ONLINE: TIPS FOR FACULTY
The Public Discourse Modules: Sample Assignments
Use the button below to access a series of public discourse teaching modules for faculty.
Public Speaking Resources for Faculty
Faculty can incorporate public speaking instruction into their classes by showing and discussing our selection of speeches in conjunction with Guidelines for Public Speaking and our Speech Evaluation Form. Additional speeches on a range of topics can be found at TED Talks. Here is a video on public speaking feedback by staff member Peter Sapira.
Individual Consultations
Magdalena Zapędowska, Writing Instructor and Writing Studies Specialist at the Jacobson Center, offers individual consultations on teaching with writing for faculty and instructional staff. You’re warmly invited to talk to her about such topics as developing, sequencing, and scaffolding assignments, writing effective assignment prompts, providing feedback on student work, low-stakes and high-stakes writing, in-class writing, experimental assignments, and anything else you might want to discuss. Please email mzapedowska@smith.edu to schedule a consultation.
Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC)
Learn more about how departments are rethinking their writing curricula and making them more public-facing. The Writing Enriched Curriculum is an innovative approach to rethinking how writing is taught on academic campuses that was first launched in 2007 at the University of Minnesota. WEC provides academic departments with a way to ensure that discipline-relevant writing and writing instruction are intentionally infused into their undergraduate curricula. This program is supported by a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation.