Call For Proposals for MnWE 2024
​
New Visions for College Writing
Normandale Community College, Bloomington, MN,
and simultaneously on Zoom
Friday - Saturday, April 12 - April 13, 2024


​      The 15th annual Minnesota Writing & English Conference asks the MnWE community–Minnesota and surrounding states–to think about the future of academic writing instruction:  
  • What lessons should we be teaching students in a world of post-pandemic skills deficits and AI-powered, large-language models? 
  • What are the most effective pedagogical strategies for the tasks our students will face?
        Technological and systemic changes have put the future of our field in question. Corporations push to replace writers and other white-collar workers with AI-based tools. Schools eliminate multiple-choice placement tests but struggle to find satisfactory alternative processes. Political pressure builds to eliminate developmental coursework despite growing need for developmental reading and writing courses. Responding to these and other challenges, English and writing instructors, ESOL and Reading teachers, students, librarians, and tutors must adapt what has worked well while fostering the best of the latest developments. Which innovative visions should shape the future of college writing instruction?
Formats for Participation in the Conference
        MnWE invites you to propose an individual presentation for a roundtable discussion, or you may create an entire roundtable of 3-5 people and submit a shared proposal. If you propose an individual presentation, the MnWE team will place you in a roundtable with 2-4 other presenters talking about a similar topic. Roundtable speakers may present in-person or online through Zoom. Please limit your presentation to 5-6 minutes so there is plenty of time for roundtable speakers and audience members to discuss the issues. 
Topics for Participation in the Conference
Presentations may address “New Visions of College Writing,” as the questions below suggest. Other topics related to Writing or English also are welcome.
  • To what extent should we incorporate AI-based writing tools in our courses?  What is the role of the human writer (student or professional) in a world increasingly saturated with AI?  How can we prepare students to be educated consumers of information in a world of increasingly convincing AI-generated texts based on predictive models that have irregular concern for truth?
  • How can we create writing courses that are meaningful and effective for students of diverse backgrounds? How do we address the increasing skill gaps seen in students affected by inadequate distance learning courses? To what extent should we fight to preserve or resurrect developmental courses, and what are the effective alternatives?
  • What should be the role of tutoring and ESOL instruction in addressing reading and writing skill gaps? To what extent are the expectations realistic that are now placed on writing centers and other forms of tutoring?
  • How should we factor mental, physical, and emotional health into our teaching and tutoring? How can we develop holistic pedagogies or other approaches to increase student success in the face of these nonacademic challenges?
  • How might our Literature courses better help students engage thoughtfully with poems, plays, and stories? How might our Creative Writing courses better help students craft such texts?
  • What strategies will encourage students to conduct effective research, to find quality sources, evaluate diverse perspectives, integrate source material ethically and competently in their writing, and contribute their own ideas to complex conversations?
  • How can we work within our departments, with administrators, and through our unions to make our fields fairer and more rewarding for the contingent faculty and graduate students who teach so many of our Developmental and General Education courses?


Our best to all of you,
The MnWE Committee
Minnesota Writing and English
www.MnWE.org
Coordination:
Abi Duly, H.S. Faculty Advisor, New London-Spicer Schools
Julie Daniels, Program Editor, Century College
Mary Ellen Daniloff-Merrill, SMSU Advisor, Southwest Minn. State Univ.
Judith Dorn, 2023 Site Coordinator, Saint Cloud State University
Gene Gazelka, Web Docs Coordinator, North Hennepin Comm. Coll.
Ed Hahn, Web and Registration Coordinator, North Hennepin College
Ryuto Hashimoto, Undergr. Connection Coord., Mn. State U.-Mankato
Danielle Hinrichs, Program/Conf. Coordinator, Metropolitan State Univ.
Richard Jewell, Co-founder & Gen. Coord., Inver Hills Coll. (Emeritus)
Carla-Elaine Johnson, Plenary Coordinator, Saint Paul College
Eric Mein, 2024 Site Host Coordinator, Normandale College
Gordon Pueschner, Secretary & Conf. Floor Manager, Century College
Jonathan Reeves, Century College
Donald Ross, Co-founder, Univ. of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Emeritus)
Larry Sklaney, Conference & Cost Center Coordinator, Century College
           
MnWE Journal Coeditors:
    David Beard, University of Minnesota-Duluth, dbeard at d.umn.edu
    Yanmei Jiang, Century College
    John Schlueter, Saint Paul College