Professional Development for Research-Writing Instructors: A Collaborative Approach

Abstract

Writing programs and academic libraries are frequent collaborators based on shared concerns about writing and research. However, in these collaborative relationships librarians often share their expertise with writing program administrators and individual instructors without developing the information literacy expertise of the majority of writing program instructors. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the library instruction program and the writing program recognized that by facilitating collaborative professional development, they could together provide enhanced support for instructors teaching research-based writing courses. The authors present a case study of their local professional development institute that developed writing instructors’ information literacy confidence and expertise. Based on this experience, the authors offer ways that libraries and writing programs can collaborate to develop writing instructors’ information literacy expertise so that the instructors are better prepared to integrate research and writing into the writing curriculum and support students’ research and writing learning needs.