International Writing Centers Association
From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative
The International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) is comprised of administrators and staff from writing centers at universities, college and public schools. Founded in 1983 as the National Writing Centers Association, IWCA is an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English.
The association’s mission is to foster “the development of writing center directors, tutors, and staff by sponsoring meetings, publications, and other professional activities; by encouraging scholarship connected to writing center-related fields; and by providing and international forum for writing center concerns.”[1]
In addition to writing center associations and organizations from the United States and Canada, IWCA is affiliated with writing center associations from Africa and the Middle East, Europe, Latin America.[2]
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Annual Conference
IWCA holds an annual conference to discuss writing center research and scholarship.
Digital Media in Writing Centers
With the rise of digital media application in education, IWCA conference presentations are increasingly focused on incorporating the use of digital media in writing centers. Relevant subtopics of discussion include application of training in rhetoric to non-alphabetic projects, ways to best serve clients who need assistance with digital media or web-based projects, and the advantages and disadvantages of using online tutoring in the writing center.[3]
Online writing center tutoring is a large topic in itself, with a number of previous years’ presenters debating the affordances and limitations of synchronous versus asynchronous tutoring using platforms such as WCONLINE, WebEx, and email. Some member writing centers exist entirely online, which allows them to offer perspectives on writing consultation without face-to-face interaction.
Conference Location
The conference’s location changes each year.[4] The 2017 IWCA conference will be held November 10-13 in Chicago, Illinois. Its theme is “Tutor, Writer, Director Spy,” a reference to the way that “Writing Center work requires crossing borders and boundaries, infiltrating new systems, understanding the code, and sometimes a little sleight of hand.”[5]
In recent years, the conference has also taken place in Denver, Colorado (2016) and Pittsburgh, Philadelphia (2015). In 2014, IWCA held a joint conference with the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.[6]
Other Activities
In addition to its conference, IWCA hosts a collaborative at the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), as well as an annual Summer Institute that has been held since 2003. The 2017 Summer Institute will be held in Vancouver, Canada.
The association provides informational resources for writing centers through its website. IWCA offers the Muriel Harris Outstanding Service Award, Outstanding Article Award, and Outstanding Book/Major Work Award. It also provides grants for professional and graduate student research.[7]
Membership
In 2017, annual IWCA memberships cost $50 for professionals and $15 for full-time students. For an additional fee, members may also add subscriptions to the Writing Center Journal and/or The Writing Lab Newsletter, two publications that are not directly affiliated with or published by IWCA, but are widely read by writing center administrators and personnel.
Among other benefits, members are eligible to apply for IWCA Research and Graduate Research Grants, and receive discounts for subscriptions to the Writing Center Journal and The Writing Lab Newsletter.
Additional membership information can be found on IWCA’s member website.
Leadership
As of 2017, IWCA is led by a five-member executive board, comprised of President Shareen Grogan of National University, Vice President Jackie Grutsch-McKinney of Ball State University, Secretary Kathryn Tucker of Nevada State College, Treasurer Karen Johnson of Shippensburg University, and former President Kevin Dvorak of Nova Southeastern University.[8]
