AUA Hosts EWCA Summer Institute

4 min read

Yerevan, Armenia — On May 22-26, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Math & Writing Center hosted the European Writing Centers Association’s (EWCA) Second Summer Institute (SI). The attendees of the program included directors of writing centers, writing consultants, and professors from universities in Qatar, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, and the United States. The SI program comprised workshops, discussions, and mentoring sessions led by Lawrence Cleary from the University of Limerick, Ireland; Franziska Liebetanz from the European University Viadrina, Germany; Pamela Bromley from Scripps College, U.S.; and Shareen Grogan from the University of Montana, U.S. 

“The most important thing for me was that the leaders created various opportunities for exchanging ideas and learning from one another: presentations, engaging activities, small group discussions, critical reading and reflection, hands-on sessions – just to name a few,” said Svetlana Suchkova, associate professor and director of the Academic Writing Center, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. 

“It is an honor for me to have hosted an international group of professionals at AUA. I attended the first EWCA Summer Institute in Germany in 2019 and it was such a beneficial opportunity in terms of my professional development that I decided to take an initiative to host the second summer institute at AUA,” said Sona Khachatryan, the host of SI 2023 and EWCA board member. She expressed gratitude for the institutional support lent by the AUA and Office of Student Affairs in making the event happen. “These types of international events are crucial in highlighting the role of writing centers in academic institutions. AUA Writing Center, the only one in Armenia, has become a part of a larger network and, hopefully, more collaborations and initiatives will be implemented in the future,” said Khachatryan.

The EWCA was founded in 1998 to integrate writing centers within a framework of exchange, collaboration, and discussion about their goals and activities. The EWCA holds conferences every two years in different countries for its 300+ members worldwide. The SI was initiated to keep the broader community engaged beyond the conferences. Thirty people are selected biennially to participate in smaller group trainings and in depth discussions on the philosophies and priorities of the writing centers. 

“It is all about collaboration and networking,” posits Lawrence Cleary, current chair of EWCA, highlighting the opportunities SI presents to engage professionals from different universities in discussions with one another while creating lasting relationships and collaborations among them. “The AUA campus is beautiful and it is a great institution,” said Cleary who loved being in Armenia and specifically at AUA. The participants also enjoyed being at AUA. “Thank you EWCA/AUA for a memorable and rich experience, both professionally and personally!” said Melissa McGee of Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. “The atmosphere was fantastic also due to the AUA team’s excellent organization and caring attitude. Thanks a lot for this wonderful developmental event,” added Svetlana Suchkova. 

Franziska Liebetanz, vice chair of EWCA, elaborated, “The SI allows the host university to invite academics from different countries to get on board and to show that writing centers, such as the AUA Math & Writing Center, are highly valued and recognized by these professionals. Writing centers are not just tiny corners on a university campus; they provide students in need support and tutoring in writing.” 

The 2023 EWCA SI differed from the first one held in 2019 in Germany in terms of including more discussion on diversity. “We already know about diversity, but what was different this year was to be more explicit on what to do to realize institutional change to get more people to access writing centers,” Liebetanz said. 

During the SI, Brent Anders, director of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment and lecturer at AUA, gave a presentation on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. He highlighted the continuum of AI integration into learning, spanning no integration to full integration. In an engaging Q&A session with the participants following his presentation, Anders elaborated on the importance of AI literacy and the ethics and methods of integrating AI in education. “I have not really dealt with AI yet,” said Genevieve Williams, the writing center coordinator from Bellevue University, U.S. Like most participants, Williams asserted that she had gained extensive knowledge on how to be prepared and aware of AI in writing centers and education, in general. “I learned a lot about peer tutoring, collaboration, writing fellows, ways to utilize new media when explaining writing processes, assessment practices, AI and writing centers, how to build community, and more, including how to further our journey to become the best writing center professionals we can be in our varied contexts and with each other.”

The 2023 SI concluded with a reflection session that underscored what the participants took away. Most of them highlighted that they associate Armenia and AUA with this great opportunity of making new connections and inspire one another. “Being in the earliest stages of initiating a writing center at my university, I walked away from this week-long training with an extraordinary amount of helpful information, expert tips, insightful experiences, and a heap of energy and inspiration because of the network I now have of writing center colleagues from all throughout Europe and the US.,” Melissa McGee concluded. 

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.