CIWIC: Computers in Writing-Intensive Classrooms

In its seventeenth year, CIWIC-AIC is designed to help participants integrate computer technology into their own courses in a meaningful way—and to prepare them to lead this integration effort within their programs, departments, institutions, or districts. Participants will learn how to help other faculty formulate and assess computer-rich assignments, design and evaluate computer-supported writing facilities and classrooms, and build curricula that make productive use of computers. During the institute, participants are encouraged to prepare materials that can be used in their courses and at their home institutions. The institute focuses, first, on the needs of people—faculty and students—as they employ computers thoughtfully and in support of their teaching and learning goals and, only after those needs are met, on the technology itself.

CIWIC-AIC is open to educators at all levels: two-and four-year teachers of English studies; elementary teachers of language arts; graduate students in programs related to composition, rhetoric, and technical communication studies; writing center and writing program administrators, etc.

This workshop is where most participants choose to start in the CIWIC program because it focuses on issues that are broadly pedagogical in nature. Only a willingness to learn new methods of incorporating computers into writing-intensive classrooms is required. Basic familiarity with computers and word- processing software is useful.