While many university writing centers require new fellows to take a semester-long course on theory and practice, UMB Writing Center Fellows instead take part in pre-semester preparation every fall involving readings and discussions, followed by online and in-person learning about writing center praxis throughout the year. In keeping with our mission, new fellows in 2025 will also join the Baltimore Writing Center Project (BWCP). Fellows participating in the BWCP attend online bi-monthly discussion sessions, attend and present at academic and professional conferences, and complete a final writing project.

When you become a UMB Writing Center Fellow, you will experience robust continuing education that complements learning in your professional degree program at UMB. You will deepen your understanding of the relationships among text, language, and power in writing practice and education by reflecting on how graduate students write in a contemporary world shaped by emerging technologies and multiple global crises. Joining online, asynchronous module work and in-person discussion sessions, you'll practice critical digital composition and collaborate with fellowship colleagues and UMB Writing Center leaders to answer questions crucial to higher education and the professions, such as,  What does it mean to create, organize, and communicate knowledge and community in these circumstances?" How do we respond through student writing support?

UMB Writing Center Fellows in Their Own Words: Parth

Compare/Contrast: Baltimore Writing Center Project (BWCP) & Ongoing Professional Development Program

  • Baltimore Writing Center Project (BWCP)

    • Meet and work with graduate student peers from Baltimore-area university writing centers
    • Deliberate critical perspectives on writing support practices
    • Build and sustain a cross-institutional network of care and support for this work
    • Collaborate with other writing consultants on research, writing projects, and conference presentations

     

  • Shared Theory and Work

    • Interrogate language ideologies, including notions of language deficiency and correctness 
    • Explore options for focusing writing support on choice and agency
    • Examine power relations and our roles in them to pursue institutional change 
    • Cultivate active listening, criticality, and enthusiasm for writing support
  • Ongoing Professional Development Program

    • Apply critical perspectives on writing in one-to-one online and in-person consultations
    • Learn how to engage graduate students in strategic approaches to research and writing
    • Practice empathy and compassion as key strategies for supporting graduate student writers 
    • Develop critical consciousness, confidence, and skill as a writing consultant through online and in-person professional development training throughout the academic year

Next: Ready to apply to become a Writing Center Fellow? Click here!