Grants
WAU offers grants in support of faculty and staff efforts to pilot best practices in writing pedagogy, to conduct writing-related research/scholarship, and to invite alumni for campus discussion (online or in-person) to discuss their professional writing experiences. A list of past grant recipients, along with the titles of their projects and examples of their work, is at the bottom of this page.
Best Practices in Writing Pedagogy Grant
Individual proposals: This grant encourages and supports teaching faculty in full-time, ongoing positions who are working to pilot best practices in writing pedagogy in their classes. $1,000 stipend. Offered fall and spring terms. See the list on our “Best Practices” page for help developing your ideas for this grant proposal.
Collaborative proposals: This grant encourages and supports faculty and staff who are working to pilot best practices in writing pedagogy in their classes and programs. $1,000 stipend for each participant, up to 5 collaborators. Offered for fall and spring terms.
Eligible to apply: For Best Practices in Writing Pedagogy Grant, faculty in full-time, ongoing positions and staff teaching writing in their programs. Please see * below.
Applications due November 22, for grants to be used in Spring
Applications due May 2nd, for grants to be used in Fall
CWE Writing Pedagogy Grant Proposal
Research into Writing Grant
Offered over the summer only, this grant supports faculty to conduct research into writing or the teaching of writing in the disciplines and professions. Example of appropriate research topics include studying a specific writing pedagogy to determine if it improves student learning outcomes; researching how the professional writing associated with your discipline is changing; or examining student attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses in a particular writing situation. Others examples of successfully funded grants can be found below. Please contact Dr. Paula Rosinski if you would like to discuss your proposal ideas. $3,000 stipend.
Eligible to apply: For Research into Writing Grant, faculty in full-time, ongoing positions. Please see * and ** below.
Applications due May 2nd, for grants to be used summer only. Once you have completed your proposal, please email, with “Grant Proposal” in the subject line, to the CWE Program Assistant, Malinda Spencer.
CWE Research into Writing Scholarship Grant Proposal
*Past WAU/CWE funding may be taken into account depending upon the number of proposal applications received.
**Preference for the Research Into Writing Grant (which supports writing-related scholarly research) and Reimbursable Funds is given to those whose scholarship, faculty position, and disciplinary background are not primarily writing studies. Assuming all writing faculty research advances knowledge in the field, supports the ongoing work of the Writing Excellence Initiative at least indirectly, and can be supported by standard faculty development funding resources, proposals from those whose primary position, disciplinary background, and scholarship are directly linked to writing studies should articulate how the proposed research uniquely supports the goals of Elon’s ongoing Writing Excellence Initiative.
Elon Alumni Writers Grant
Designed to encourage conversations about writing among students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Elon University. Grants provide $300 to invite alumni to campus, so they can share their experiences with writing in their professional lives after graduation. Grant funding may be used as a stipend for 1, 2, or 3 alumni who speak via zoom, and/or to help defray the costs of hosting a speaker on campus. The CWE provides the stipend, logos for co-sponsorship advertising materials, and suggested speaker prompts to help organize your session. The CWE will also help advertise your planned session to the wider university community. Eligibility to apply: Faculty in full-time ongoing positions, teaching staff, and staff that closely supervise student workers. Deadline: rolling, while funding lasts.
Elon Alumni Writers Grant Grant Proposal (online submission form)
Summer Scholarships Awarded
Summer 2024
Cheng (Chris) Chen (Communications) “The Effects of AI Involvement and Student Disclosure on Instructor’s Perceptions and Assessment of College Student Writing”
Travis Maynard (English) “Elon Alumni AI Writing Study”
Nina Namaste (Arts & Sciences) “Discovering the Intercultural Self-Developing Self-Awareness Through Writing”
Summer 2023
Shannon Duvall (Computer Science) “Leveraging Large Language Models in the Classroom”
Binnan Gao (Arts & Sciences) “Comparison Between Advanced Chinese heritage learners’ and L2 learners’ Writing Skills in Narrative and Argumentative Essays”
Sowjanya Kudva (Communications) “Interactive Citations for Video Scholarship”
Aaron Piepmeier (Arts & Sciences) “Writing for Kids – Non-Fiction Picture Books about Exercise Science”
Katy Rouse (School of Business) “Incorporating a Semester Long Policy into an Intermediate Microeconomic Theory Course”
Summer 2022
Elizabeth von Briesen (Computer Science) “Researching Writing to Learn and Writing in the Profession: Pedagogical Interventions in an Advanced Computer Science Course”
Laura Taylor (Mathematics & Statistics) “Investigating Alumni Writing in Statistics”
Summer 2021
Alexis Franzese (Sociology and Anthropology) “Writing for Rapport: Using Writing Assignments to Foster Connections in Online Courses”
Janet Myers (English) “Bringing Best Practices in Writing Instruction into the Literature Classroom”
Aaron Trocki (Mathematics) “Assessing the Effects of Multimodal Writing in a First-Year STEM Course”
Summer 2019
Ayesha Delpish (Math and Statistics) “The Effects of Using Drafting and Revision on Student Engagement and Learning of Report Writing Skills in Statistics”
Kim Epting (Psychology) “Project Emo: Influences on Content and Production of Writing about Emotional Experiences”
Byung Lee (Communications) “Improving Undergraduate Writing Using Learning Analytics Visualization and Text Mining”
Summer 2018
Philip Motley (Communications) “Professional and Reflective Writing in a Graduate Thesis Course”
Summer 2017
Kim Epting (Psychology) “A Behavior Analyst Enters Conversation with a Rhetorician”
Pedagogy Grants Awarded
Fall 2024
Kim Epting (Arts & Sciences) “One-for-All and All-for-One: Improving Collaborative Writing Assignments and Assessment”
Srikant Vallabhajosula (Health Sciences) “So tell write to me about your research!”
Spring 2024
Brooks Depro (Economics) “Exploring Economics and the Environment Using Real-time Process Writing and Social Annotations”
Pamela Runestad (Sociology and Anthropology) “Portfolio project alignment for Introduction to Cultural Anthropology”
Fall 2023
Aaron Trocki (Mathematics and Statistics) “Adapting and Creating Multimodal Writing Engagements for a Calculus 1 Course”
Lorraine Ahearn (Communications) and Amanda Sturgill (Communications) “Developing Fresh Stories – a co-curricular opportunity for first year students to learn journalistic writing in a community context”
Janet Myers (English) and Megan Isaac (English) “AI Generators and Writing in the Literature Classroom”
Cheng Chen (Communications) and Qian Xu (Communications) “How Do Educators Use and Perceive AI Writing Tools for Higher Education Teaching and Learning? A Dual-Method Approach”
Fall 2022
Dan Burns (English) and Kai Swanson (Communications) “Teaching Best Practices through Multimodal Composing: The Videographic Essay”
Kathleen Crosby (English) “Empowering Writers: Incorporating Linguistic Justice Principles in Pedagogical Design and Assessment in ENG1000”
Douglas Kass (Communications) “First Person and Intensive Autobiographical Multi-Modal Writing: Best Practices and Methods”
Cassie Kircher (English) “Creating Assignments to Help Students Create Assignments”
Amanda Sturgill (Journalism), Colin Donohue (Journalism), and Kelly Furnas (Journalism) “Editors Write: Using Audience Analytics to Improve Writing and Curation Skills”
Scott Windham (World Languages & Cultures) “Defining and Articulating Writing Activities Leading to a Portfolio”
Fall 2021
Jessica Merricks (Biology) “Evaluating the Impact of Reflective Writing Portfolios on Transformative Learning in non-STEM Majors”
Scott Windham (German) “Enhancing Written Proficiency in German Through Pre-Writing, Meaningful Evaluation, and Revision”
Spring 2021
Erica M. Thomas (Education and Wellness) “Reflective Writing in a Mindfulness Course”
Deliverables: Reflective Writing and Thinking, Reflective Writing PPT, Reflective Writing Rubric
Shannon Duvall (Computer Science), Kim Epting (Psychology), Megan Isaac (English) “Designing Reflective Writing Assignments for Novice Researchers”
Deliverables: Portrait of a Researcher, Reflecting on Fellow Interview, Reflecting on Panel Interview, Reflecting on Poster Session, Writing a Positionality Statement, Design Thinking Reflection
Kaye Usry (Political Science) and Joel Shelton (Political Science) “Teaching Writing About Political Methodology”
Janet Myers (English) “MultiModal Writing in the Literature Classroom” Deliverable: Unessay Project
Evan Gatti (History), Kirstin Ringelberg (History) and Yidi Wu (History) “Un-grading & Contract Grading in ARH/HST Courses as Anti-Racist Pedagogy”
Spring 2019
Kyle Altmann (Physics), Benjamin Evans (Physics) and Chris Richardson (Physics) “Improving Letters Home Lab Reports”
Deliverables: Letter Home Assignment, Letter Home Rubric Revision
Summer 2019
Douglas Kass (Communications) “Improving and Updating Core Media Writing: Best Practices”
Fall 2018
Michael Strickland (Environmental Science/Professional Writing & Rhetoric) “Rebranding the Typical Science Report in Environmental Studies”
Kate Upton (Finance) & Adam Aiken (Finance) “Writing for Clients in Finance”
Deliverables: IPS Assignment, Equity Valuation Assignment, Stock Trak Assignment (Part 1), Stock Trak Assignment (Part 2)
Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler (Psychology) and Cassandra Kircher (Creative Writing) “When Travel Becomes Transfer: Writing Towards an Understanding of Cultural Humility”
Ryan Johnson (Philosophy) “Teaching Through Parallel Writing Senior Seminar in Philosophy”
Spring 2018
Ayesha Delpish (Statistics and Education) and Andi Metts (Mathematics and Statistics) “Enhancing Presentation Writing in STS 212”
Erika Lopina (Psychology) and Kim Epting (Psychology) “Removing Writing Blocks: Promoting Course Transfer of Disciplinary Writing Training”
Fall 2017
Lynn Bisko (Associate Librarian) and Michelle Kleckner (Computing Sciences) “Beyond the Traditional Research Paper”
Cassie Kircher (English) and Janet Myers (English) “How to Make Your Home Among Strangers: Entering Academic Discourse Communities”
Sean Giovanello (Political Science), Joan Ruelle (Dean of the Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Associate Professor) and Vicki Siler (Assistant Librarian) “Zotero as a teaching tool: Citing it right, Writing it right”
Kevin Otos (Theatre) “Writing to Learn: Enhancements in the Acting Classroom”
Douglas Kass (Communications) “Best Practices for Motion Picture Formats”
Barbara Gordon (English) “The Creation of a Global Studies Multimodal Project”
Summer 2017
David Buck (Psychology) “Course Pen Pals”
Byung Lee (Communications) “Students’ Use of Mind Mapping Software to Improve Analysis and Synthesis Skills in Research”
Deliverable: Structuring Student Research
Spring 2017
Shannon Duvall and Megan Squire “Adding Writing to the Computing Sciences Curriculum”
Michael Carignan (History), Xiaolin Duan, Clyde Ellis (History), Charles Irons (History) and Andrea Sinn (History) “Scaffolding Writing Instruction in the History Major”
Meredith Allison (Psychology), CJ Fleming (Psychology), Rachel Force (Psychology), India Johnson (Psychology) and Katie King (Psychology), “Using Lesson Study to Improve the Teaching of Writing in Psychology”
Tonmoy Islam (Economics), Introducing “Writing to Learn” to Principles of Economics
Joy Goodwin “Simulating a TV Writers’ Room in an Intro Screenwriting Course”
Harlyn Skinner “Writing a Public Health Research Proposal”
Fall 2016
Scott Beuchler, Mark Courtright (Management), Alisha Horky (Marketing) and Rob Moorman (Business Leadership and Organizational Behavior “Incorporating Writing into a New Course in the Business Core”
Alexis Franzese (Sociology) “Enhancing Student Writing in Senior Seminar and During Study USA Courses Through Best Practices in Writing Pedagogy”
Paula Weller (Accounting) “Improving Feedback to and from the Writing Center for ACC 336”
Ren Bryan (Education) “Teaching Transfer of Academic Writing Skills for Portfolio Entries and in Practicum Classrooms”
Byung Lee (Communications) “Using Mapping Software for Effective Lit Review”
Summer 2016
Sirena Hargrove-Leak (Engineering) “Can First-Year Engineers Ride the Wave of Change by Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset in a Service-Learning Project?”
Michael Strickland (Environmental Studies and English) “Establishing a Foundation for Reflective Writing Assignments in Environmental Studies”
Deliverable: Professional Documentation Log
Shawn Tucker (Art) “Evaluating Effectiveness of Changing a Daily Writing Assignment”
Johnathan Albright “Promoting Data-Centered Writing Literacy”
Amanda Sturgill (Communications) “Providing Feedback That is Used and Useful”
Scott Windham (German) “What Sort of L2 Grammar Instruction Supports Writing and Literacy?”
Spring 2016
Janet MacFall (Environmental Studies/Biology), Steve Moore and Michael Strickland “Building the Scaffold for Effective Multi-Genre Transdisciplinary Writing in Environmental Studies”
Li Li (English), Jessie Moore (English), Rebecca Pope-Ruark (English), Paula Rosinski (English) and Michael Strickland (Environmental Studies/English) “Embedding Multimedia Writing in the Professional Writing & Rhetoric Curriculum”
Deliverable: Multimedia Writing Project
Tonmoy Islam (Economics), Jennifer Platania (Economics) and Katy Rouse (Economics) Introducing “Writing as a Citizen” Component in Economics Courses
Kevin Bourque (English), Rosemary Haskell (English), Megan Isaac (English) and Kim Pyne (English) “Supporting the Teaching of Writing in English 255, Topics in Literature: A Multi-Section Course”
Kim Epting (Psychology) “Enhancing Revision Practices in PSY 460: Empirical Senior Seminar”
Robin Attas “Teaching Disciplinary Writing in Music Theory: A Mini-Conference Project”
Douglass Kass (Communications) “The Writer’s Room”