June 8-20, 2025
Location: Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland
“The seminar filled big holes in my education—holes that I didn’t know were there.”
What kind of research do we focus on?
Research is broadly—and provisionally—defined here as systematic and reliable or reproducible inquiry in response to a research question that can generate interpretable data, inquiry that is grounded in previous research and designed to extend existing knowledge and, through scholarly publication or other public contribution, to be extended itself.
Who should attend?
We welcome new and seasoned writing researchers, teachers, and writing program administrators from all types of institutions, including universities, two-year/four-year colleges, writing centers, writing research laboratories, technical schools, or centers for teaching excellence, around the globe. We encourage research teams to apply. Competitive acceptance.
The program is designed to support higher education writing researchers who would like to engage in data-driven research but have not had the opportunity to develop this area of their work. The Seminar seeks to bring analytical and methodological rigor to research with an emphasis on strong research principles. This includes attention to methodological responsibility, quality of data and analysis, and understanding the implications of data gathering and analytical methods.
Focal points will include:
- interrogating ideology and evidentiary methods
- rethinking premises
- engaging with interdisciplinarity and tracing data collection (for example, interviews) back to the “original” disciplines in question
- sections with readings and discussions about the benefits and combinations of qualitative and quantitative studies, of both uses and limitations of low-N studies and big data work, of the assumptions of phenomenological studies and larger systemic phenomena.
Participants will set goals and make progress on a project they bring to the Seminar, and leave the Seminar with a concrete plan for completing that project. They will benefit from an ongoing support network, including the program cohort and the team members (see previous participants’ testimony, below).
2025 Program
During the Seminar participants will learn to make their work more legible to all kinds of readers. They will develop their expertise in understanding, choosing, and using the particular research methods we cover. Participants will also learn to engage in critical analysis with (and of) statistics and statistical software and prepare for publication of this kind of research. The Seminar is also valuable for faculty with experience doing this work but looking for some input into a particular project they wanted to workshop, or teachers of writing and leaders of writing initiatives trained in different research traditions who are interested in exchanging ideas, in a collegial and productive setting, about research methods used in contexts around the world. We appreciate the dialogue created by international and interdisciplinary participants seeking a collaborative research network with members from various institutional and cultural contexts.
The specific program will be tailored to the research projects defined by applicants. The program’s key on-site features will include group/team work, individual consultations with program leaders, individual work time, and daily classwork.
Deadline to apply: December 31, 2024.
When does the program work begin?
In the March-May 2025 period, we will form a cohort, distribute readings, share information about projects, and offer preliminary guidance from team leaders on IRB contact and data collection as needed. In April-May we host a series of exchanges to share projects and discuss preparation. Peer review and consultations with team members are ongoing throughout the seminar, from an initial meeting to a final presentation of projects.
What will participants gain?
Key takeaways include:
- a deeper understanding of data-driven research; access to resources and a research network over time
- a set of practical and methodological tools for implementation; improved ability to ask questions and interpret data
- a sense of a project’s place and value in the writing studies landscape
- a cohort of colleagues with whom to continue working and exchanging ideas over time
Costs
| Program fee (includes all materials, access to the library and Internet while at the program) | $1,500 (partial scholarships available to community college, HCBU, and TCU participants) |
| Housing for the full seminar term (single rooms with private baths in comfortable dormitories) | $893 for 12 nights' housing, lunch daily on weekdays, parking, and pool access. |
* The housing/meal plan is optional, though strongly recommended: participants have noted that being onsite really enables the fullest participation. Quoted cost is an estimate but we do not expect it to vary significantly. Each participant will have a single room and private bathroom in a 4x4 air conditioned cluster with a shared kitchen. Detailed information will be available before accepted participants commit to attending.
For More Information:
Please write to Composition.Research.Seminar@Dartmouth.Edu with any questions.