Across the University of Maryland, Baltimore's (UMB) professional schools, writing remains a central way students engage with disciplinary knowledge, demonstrate critical thinking, and prepare for scholarly and professional communication. Yet teaching writing — or teaching with writing — comes with real challenges: balancing feedback with limited time, making expectations visible, and responding to shifts in how students approach writing, including the use of generative artificial intelligence. That’s why the UMB Writing Center is launching a new faculty-focused workshop series designed to create space for practical, reflective conversations about writing pedagogy in our unique teaching contexts.
“Aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern”: Conversations on Teaching (with) Writing at UMB is a new workshop series led by Writing Center director Isabell May, PhD, MA, who is also an associate professor in the School of Graduate Studies, and the center's associate director James Wright, MFA. Taking its name from a German phrase that suggests “sharing insider knowledge,” this series invites faculty, instructors, postdocs, and doctoral students interested in teaching into hands-on, experience-based discussions. Each semester, we’ll explore strategies for integrating writing more intentionally into our courses — whether you’re teaching a writing-intensive seminar or assigning writing in a research, clinical, or professional context. These sessions are designed to be collaborative, sustainable, and grounded in the work you’re already doing.
Our Fall 2025 workshop, "Cracking the Code: Using Sample Texts to Demystify Disciplinary Writing," will take place on Friday, Oct. 24, from 12-1:30 p.m. This session will focus on how faculty can use sample texts to make disciplinary writing conventions more visible to students. Through guided examples and discussion, participants will explore practical strategies for selecting and analyzing texts that illuminate rhetorical moves, structural patterns, and audience expectations. Whether your students are preparing assignments, capstones, or early publications, this session offers tools for supporting more confident, informed writing across disciplines. Register via the Elm calendar for this online workshop (if you need accommodation, consult the event site for directions on how to request them).