What is the Grad WAC Fellows program?
The WAC Fellows program seeks to explore ways to increase the quantity and quality of teaching writing in classes conducted by graduate teaching assistants in a variety of disciplines across campus. They explore the effectiveness of various pedagogical methods and tools for developing writing practices and assessments that occur in undergraduate classrooms taught by graduate students. Two main pedagogical methods under investigation in this study include Writing Across the Curriculum and Writing In the Disciplines.
Grad WAC Fellows who have completed two semesters in the program are eligible to apply for the Pearce Center’s Professional Practicum in WAC and WID. Fellows in this practicum will expand on the skills learned in Grad WAC Fellows and will put WAC and WID strategies into practice through a variety of writing-focused activities, including making presentations on strategies for writing, revising and communicating in the disciplines.
If you are a graduate student looking for resources on written or visual communication, check out our Resources page for more information.
Apply
WAC Fellows is a professional development program for graduate teaching assistants, from ALL disciplines, designed to assist GTAs in increasing the amount and improving the quality of writing that occurs in their undergraduate classrooms. WAC Fellows join a cohort that meets for one or two semesters to discuss writing practices and implement writing assignments. WAC Fellows must apply, interview and, if selected, earn a professional development stipend!
To apply to become a WAC Fellow, please click on the following link and complete the Google form.
Research Focus
The WAC Fellows program helps Clemson University to reestablish practices that support Writing Across the Curriculum and Writing In the Disciplines, using writing as a primary tool in
1. the process of learning,
2. communicating what has been learned,
3. improving critical thinking and
4. building confidence in writing and communicating abilities for various academic, business and public audiences.
Research in the WAC Fellows program will focus on helping graduate students improve teaching and assessing writing in their undergraduate classrooms. They will learn how to implement low-stakes writing, rubric design and assessment strategies within existing syllabi, whether engineering, science, social science, humanities or other discipline.
Spring 2025 Grad WAC Fellows
Aakriti Joshi – Biological Sciences
Bristi Paul – Bioengineering
Ebere Loretto Anozie – Forest Resources
Farbod Khalili – Planning, Design and the Built Environment
Hossein Rajoli Nowdeh – Electrical Engineering
James Aboko – Chemistry
Kamand Taherkhani – Architecture
Melika Jahan Beikloo – Industrial Engineering
Narayan Kandel – Computer Science
Nazanin Mohseni – Mathematical Sciences
Negin Nazari – Industrial Engineering
Niloufar Alipour Talemi – Electrical Engineering
Oluwatobi Olaniyi – Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
Pegah GhafGhanbari – Mechanical Engineering
Sagar Adhikari – Physics
Sajib Kumar Mohonta – Physics
Sayed Pedram Haeri Boroujeni – Computer Science
Seyedehaysan Mokhtarimousavi – Planning, Design and the Built Environment
Shreeya Sharma – Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Suman Dhamala – Civil Engineering
Vida Nazar – Bioengineering
Zahra Ghazanfari – Planning, Design and the Built Environment
Contact
Cameron Bushnell
Director of the Pearce Center for Professional Communication
Email: cbushne@clemson.edu
Graduate WAC Fellow Reflections
Graduate WAC Practicum Fellow Reflections
Olivia McAnirlin (2021-2022)
I gained awesome opportunities from the practicum experience that I can add to my curriculum vitae, such as presenting with GRAD 360°. These professional experiences have allowed me to network within the Clemson community as well as develop possible future opportunities. One of the biggest things I have realized is the importance of having good mentors in your corner. I am grateful for the time and energy Jennifer Hagen Forsberg gave to help me improve my presentation skills and visual aids. Forsberg’s feedback helped me think more critically and introspectively about the audience and purpose, which I will carry with me as an early career teacher and researcher. In the field of PRTM, we focus on teaching our students how to be strong communicators. This practicum gave me hands-on experience in critiquing how my and my future students’ writing skills are communicated. I am truly thankful for the practicum experience.
Arup Bhattacharya (2021-2022)
As I look back on my time as a WAC Fellow, the first feeling that comes to my mind is gratitude: the gratitude of knowing amazing mentors, delivering challenging yet meaningful lessons and learning so much in the process. As a professional practicum participant, it was a new experience assuming an instructor’s role. When I took classes as a student, I often did not think about the background efforts to put a lesson together to optimize learning. But designing workshops, where my mentor was ready with the best resources, was an exercise that led me to think about why someone needs to know something in my discipline. In retrospect, this practicum taught me to put myself in the audiences’ shoes and prepare any lesson.
Professional writing, especially in academia, is something very rigorous and, in my opinion, often overlooked in higher education. Teaching students the specific requirements and things to look out for when writing in their disciplines is almost as important as coming up with the technical information. It was a pleasure to be involved in training next-generation writing coaches and leaders in discipline-specific writing.