Spring 2023 Wednesday Workshops
Wednesday Workshops are held both in-person at the Writing Center computer lab (210 Stabley Library) and online via Zoom. All workshops will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Workshop attendees can request attendance vouchers. For questions about our workshops, please email us at w-center@iup.edu. Several of the below workshops can be counted toward the Business Writing Credential, a co-curricular certificate that students may add to their résumé or curriculum vitae (CV). Learn more about the Business Writing Credential.
January 25
MLA Documentation
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
This workshop introduces the MLA documentation style (8th edition), including how to quote and summarize from an original source. This is a hands-on workshop where students see examples and do exercises. Topics include citing within the text, using signal phrases, creating the Works Cited page, and documenting online sources.
February 1
APA Documentation
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
In this workshop, students are introduced to the APA documentation style (7th edition), including how to quote and summarize from an original source. It’s a hands-on workshop in which students see examples and do exercises on their computers. Topics include citing within the text, using signal phrases, creating the References page, and documenting online sources.
February 8
Words that Work: Strategic Language for Professional Communication
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential series
A workshop based on the book Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear by Frank Luntz. This workshop explores the principles of Words that Work including simplicity, brevity, credibility, novelty, and speaking in an aspirational tone. This session also gives students a chance to practice each of the principles. The workshop concludes by exploring how the strategic choice of words can be an asset in professional communication.
February 15
American Academic Conventions for International Students
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate International Student or Multilingual Writer
This workshop offers international students and multilingual writers insights and information about American academic conventions and strategies for successful writing in US institutions of higher education. The workshop will cover understanding writing assignments, rhetorical considerations of audience and organization, managing sources and source use, and common challenges that international and multilingual writers face.
February 22
Résumé Writing Workshop
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential series
This workshop introduces students to developing content and designing an effective résumé. Students will explore effective résumé samples, learn how to frame experiences to diverse audiences, and see different content that goes in a résumé. Attendees will also learn new features in MS Word that will make their résumé distinctive. Students can get started on one during this workshop, or polish what they've already written.
March 1
Cover Letter Workshop
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential series
This workshop introduces students to writing an effective cover letter. Attendees will review models of successful cover letters, discuss the purpose of the cover letter, how to tailor a cover letter to fit a specific job, and how to highlight relevant experiences. Students will have a chance to draft a cover letter for intended positions.
March 8
Writing and Designing Poster Presentations
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Scholars Forum
This workshop covers how to create professional poster presentations appropriate for conferences, including for IUP’s Scholars Forum. Students attending this workshop will learn how to plan, design, and write their poster presentation in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, business, or professional fields. This workshop covers tips on software options, readability, and audience awareness to create effective poster presentations.
March 22
Introduction to Technical and Professional Writing
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential series
This workshop introduces students to the nature of writing in and for the workplace. This knowledge assists students in developing their writing skills and shaping their professional communication. With practical examples and engaging activities, students learn different styles, structures, and organizations of professional and technical writing genres. Additionally, attendees will learn about multimodal and digital ways of composing in technical and professional contexts.
March 29
Avoiding Plagiarism Workshop
Level: Advanced Undergraduate/Graduate
This workshop introduces undergraduate and graduate writers to techniques for avoiding plagiarism in their writing, including through papers written in coursework or honors thesis, MA thesis, or dissertation stage. The workshop will cover cultural expectations, reading and citation strategies, managing large numbers of sources, and self-citation. The workshop will also discuss iThenticate, the software tool used by the graduate school for submission of a thesis or dissertation.
April 5
Source Synthesis and Source Integration
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
Across campus, one of the biggest challenges that students have is integrating and synthesizing secondary sources. This workshop provides students with an understanding of synthesis as an effective process for incorporating sources with their own ideas/words. It also provides interactive activities for students to engage in and practice creating conversation between sources. In the source integration portion of the workshop, students will learn how to introduce, integrate, contextualize, and cite source material successfully.
April 12
Selling Your Proposal in Professional Settings
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential Series
Proposals of ideas, new approaches, or new products are ways that one can effect change. This workshop introduces students to writing innovative short proposals that can create change in their organizations and beyond. This workshop will discuss how to create short proposals in a business setting, how to pitch ideas and proposals to various audiences, and how to sell your ideas to others. This hands-on workshop will include proposal pitching and practice.
April 18*
Writing Personal Statements for Grants and Applications
*Note: This workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 18 from 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
This workshop offers a thorough introduction to writing personal statements for a grant or application. Attendees will learn the purpose of personal statements, their length, and major features. Additionally, students will learn how to capture the reader’s interest and tell specific stories in their personal statement. This workshop also covers how to tailor a personal statement for a specific audience, including how to match writing to the information provided by a particular grant agency or program.
April 19
How to Complete Your Thesis or Dissertation Successfully
Level: Graduate
This workshop offers research-supported strategies for time management, goal setting, and creating space to help students successfully create time for writing. The workshop also covers how to manage feedback from advisors and committee members and strategies for engaging in extensive revisions on a thesis or dissertation.