As part of ongoing engagement in research into writing transfer, CTL’s Dr Alison Farrell participated as a team lead in the Elon University Writing Beyond the University conference and research seminar in North Carolina from 19 – 24 June 2022.
The seminar brings together international researchers, including through participation in three week-long residential research events, to consider a topic of shared interest over a period of two years. The team that Alison was leading was exploring how student writers make connections and navigate transitions between academic setting writing (writing done in the University) and writing beyond the university in professional settings.
Along with other international colleagues, Alison worked with Niamh Fortune (Head of Department, Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education) and students in the Froebel Department to learn about their experiences of moving from writing in the university to writing beyond the university on placement. The team has written two articles: one connecting the research with student success and published as part of the most recent EDIN collection Emerging Issues IV: Changing Times, Changing Contexts; another in press shortly to be published by Elon University as part of their Open Access Book Series.
Alison commented on the experience of the seminar: ‘the Elon University research seminars provide participants with a hugely supportive environment in which to connect with international colleagues, to develop collaborative research and to expand our thinking. Attending the seminars helps me to understand the evolving writing studies research and to bring that learning back to our University setting in order to enhance our local offerings’. Alison in looking forward to further outputs from the team and beyond which will be developed over academic year 2022-23. The current collection of publications from across the seminar are available here.