"I want to feel more joyful through the process of my writing." If this statement resonates, you will not want to miss this session! The stressors of current life are pushing more and more people to seek joy in their work. Writing is one task that may not spark joy for many of us— it is challenging, vulnerable, and time-consuming. However, this session will explore strategies and mindsets that will allow you to engage in more joyful writing and appreciate the process. You will crave the challenge, honor the vulnerability, and embrace the time spent on this task as a result.
Dr. Tracey S. Hodges is the Owner and Chief Creative Officer of The Empowering Advocate LLC, an educational research and coaching company, as well as a Senior Business Analyst for Elm Creek Technical & Professional Services LLC. Dr. Hodges’ interests include writing instruction, youth literature, instrument development, mentoring, academic writing, and project management. She is the editor of three research handbooks and author of more than 50 scholarly articles.
As an author of both textbooks and academic works, presenter Kenneth Campbell will explore the similarities and differences between these two types of writing. On the one hand, good writing is good writing, and it seems like many of the same principles should apply to both academic and textbook writing—and he believes they do. On the other hand, specific disciplines might require a certain style or format of writing for specialists in a field that vary from those one might employ when writing a textbook or for a general audience. Through his experience with his own discipline of history, he will provide some insights from which authors from any discipline might benefit, but this session will primarily be aimed at those seeking to make the transition from academic to textbook writing.
Kenneth L. Campbell is a Professor of History at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, where he has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in British, Irish, and European history. He is a past recipient of Monmouth University’s Distinguished Teacher Award. He has written a number of books, including The Beatles and the 1960s: Reception, Revolution, and Social Change (2022) and History of Britain and Ireland: Prehistory to the Present (2023).
This presentation pulls from physiological psychology to help authors understand their brain/body reactions to experiencing adversity in the writing process. It will focus on identifying ways that invite us to work in an optimal writing flow. This presentation is for you if:
You’ll leave this presentation:
Dr. Michelle Rivera-Clonch is Co-Founder of Writing in Depth: An Academic Writing Retreat which recently celebrated its 12th year of sold-out retreats. She owns a private psychology practice in Orlando, FL and teaches in the Graduate Studies in Counseling program at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. Her book, A Depth Psychological Study of the Peace Symbol, will be published by Routledge in 2023.
Writing in the Disciplines (WID) at Farmingdale State College (FSC), traditionally used in-person networking to garner interest in writing workshops, writing intensive course design, and celebrations of scholarship. FSC is small enough that visiting someone or posting fliers in the hallways worked well to engage the community. That paused in 2020, and much of presenters Christopher Iverson and Dan Ehrenfeld’s work could no longer happen in person. Networking and events went online, and engagement proved difficult, at least for many who built careers in person. This 30-minute presentation describes their authoring of an Open Educational Resource, Processes, compiling FSC writers' work, including published and unpublished work of faculty, administrators, and students. Processes will be published by SUNY Geneseo Press, and the experience of creating it opened opportunities for community building remotely. They share highlights, outline key decisions and processes (such as the selection of a Creative Commons License that best supports their mission to share their work broadly), and discuss ways that composing OERs can build community on and between campuses.
Christopher Iverson is an Assistant Professor of English in the English and Humanities Department at Farmingdale State College. His research focuses largely on community building/engagement and service-learning in composition classrooms. After the COVID-19 pandemic made public spaces more dangerous, Chris’s research interests have shifted to digital pedagogies as a way to make community building and engagement safer for students and community partners.
Dan Ehrenfeld is Assistant Professor of English and Humanities at Farmingdale State College (SUNY). His career demonstrates a decade-long commitment to culturally responsive pedagogy, with a particular focus on digital culture and rhetorical education. He is currently working on a book about the ways that digital activists and advocates develop new practices of strategic communication as they deepen their involvement in the algorithmic environments of the social web.
Universal design for learning (UDL) is an evidence-based framework that improves and optimizes teaching and learning for all people. UDL recognizes the diversity of student learners and leverages how humans learn to improve and optimize teaching and learning. This framework can greatly inform how we construct equitable learning experiences in our textbooks. UDL incorporates three core asset-based beliefs about the power of design to eliminate learning barriers. Learners differ in 1) the ways they perceive and comprehend information presented to them; 2) how they can be motivated or engaged to learn; and 3) how they can navigate a learning environment. In this session, presenters Laura Frost and Shawn Nordell provide an overview of the UDL framework, some examples of how authors can work UDL principles into their textbook writing, and discuss among the participants how this framework can be further used to enhance the equitability and accessibility of their textbooks.
Laura Frost is Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean at Florida Gulf Coast University. She is co-author of an introductory chemistry textbook in fourth edition. She has a strong background in K-20 STEM Education focusing on STEM pedagogy that includes the science of learning for effective and inclusive classroom instruction. She currently serves on the TAA Council and chairs the TAA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Shawn Nordell is the Associate Director of Graduate Career Services at the University of Arizona. Her textbook on Animal Behavior is currently in its 3rd edition and the 1st edition was awarded TAA Most Promising New Textbook. She has extensive background in pedagogy working in teaching centers at Brown University and Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently a member of the TAA Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Over the past several years major publishers have been moving away from physical or electronic books into online learning platforms and courseware, and from straight sales of standalone books to bundles, custom products and subscriptions. Traditional publishing contracts were developed at a time when a book was a discrete unit, sales could easily be tracked in those units, and revisions occurred on a predictable cycle. Publishers are trying in various ways to update and adapt their contracts to the new textbook landscape. In this session, presenter Brenda Ulrich will explore the ways in which the contracts are changing, and what the implications are for authors.
Brenda Ulrich is an intellectual property attorney who focuses on publishing, higher education, copyright and trademark law. Brenda represents authors negotiating and interpreting publishing agreements, agency agreements, and joint author agreements. She also advises colleges and universities on the development and implementation of intellectual property policies, navigating copyright questions related to teaching and scholarship, as well as managing and defending college and university trademark portfolios. She is a partner in the law firm of Archstone Law Group PC.
The need to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) extends to the materials we use to teach students. For authors, it can be tempting to relegate DEI discussions to feature boxes or individual chapters in a textbook—“add-on” features that may unintentionally convey exceptionalism. DEI should be as much a part of a manuscript as proper sentence structure and organization; it should exist within and throughout the narrative and encompass how the reader experiences the text, including visuals and accessibility. It is our responsibility to accurately reflect our diverse world.
Jessica Sarra details one digital publishing group’s approach and includes practical tips around addressing DEI in content creation, the review process, art development, and the user experience.
Paul Lu focuses on the importance of considering DEI in technical textbooks and introduces ways to include DEI in technical titles, content,
Paul Lu is Clinical Assistant Professor Management Science at Chapman University. His area of interest is in strategic management of technology and innovation, operations management, project and program management, and information systems management. He has authored three textbooks. The first is on Product Development, the second is on Project Management, and the third on Operations Management. Joining TAA was significant towards his journey into textbook writing.
Jessica Sarra is the Senior Development Editor at The University of Arizona Global Campus, where she specializes in content development for the university’s custom textbook publishing team. Jessica has more than 12 years of experience in publishing college-level digital textbooks and works closely with authors and subject-matter experts to develop rigorous, inclusive, and accessible learning materials to foster student success.
Creating a custom textbook is nothing new; major textbook publishers have offered concierge services for decades, allowing professors to handpick and remix content into a more tailored text for their students. For some, however, this option still fails to meet their course’s needs. What if you could create a single resource that was consistent with your course’s structure, level, tone, and organization? And what if you could do this while controlling textbook costs for students and creating a source of revenue for you or your institution? Today, there are myriad options, including OER and various tools and services for digital publishing, self-publishing, and print-on-demand. It is easier than ever for professors to author their own content, but no less overwhelming! Attendees will consider the evolving landscape of custom textbook publishing and most importantly, the questions they should ask themselves before and during the creation of a custom textbook.
Rebecca Paynter is the Associate Director of Editorial for The University of Arizona Global Campus, where she leads content development and acquisitions for the university’s custom textbook publishing team. Rebecca has more than 12 years of experience in publishing college-level digital textbooks and guiding authors and other subject-matter experts through writing content, navigating editing and peer review, and developing ancillaries.
Do you feel like you have fallen into the abyss when dealing with your glossary? Don’t let this problematic element overwhelm you. Presenter Paul Krieger will describe the standardized process he created to improve his glossary. After doing some research and creating a clear set of guidelines for his editors to develop a master glossary for three related books, the end result was a much more consistent, complete, and user-friendly glossary.
Paul A. Krieger is an award-winning teacher and the creator, author, and illustrator of Morton Publishing's Visual Analogy Guide series. Due to the success of his first book on human anatomy in 2004, this unique book concept quickly evolved into a four-book series. He is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy & Physiology at Grand Rapids Community College and also works as a scientific illustrator.
Multimodal teaching coupled with the democratization of video technology has in some cases fed the expectation that instructors produce video lectures or bite-sized informational clips to supplement core digital content, however, the question of how to create compelling and meaningful videos is not always intuitive or as easy as some make it look. This session will provide concrete tips on how to create polished, meaningful, and ADA accessible video content to complement your digital offering.
Lisa Peterson is Director of Content Development at Top Hat and oversees the team of content developers who work directly with textbook authors to help them create engaging, accessible, and interactive digital-first content. Lisa has 20 years of experience developing resources for the Higher Education and K-12 markets through work at Top Hat, Nelson Education, and Oxford University Press. Her previous experience includes creating and managing a Training and Development Program designed to level-set the editorial team's base level knowledge of workflow and process.
This session will cover the fundamental elements of royalty statements and how to understand their content. In recent years, royalty statement page counts have grown as publishers provide more information, but that additional information can be hard to understand and frustrating to authors.
Presenter Juli Saitz will explain what is contained in statements and discuss pertinent information that is not included, but available from your publisher. She will also give an overview of some analyses that any author can perform to better understand how and where their books are selling. Finally, if further inquiry is warranted, learn the steps involved in approaching your publisher for answers and how to proceed if you don’t get the answers you seek.
Juli Saitz, CPA is a forensic accountant and royalty auditor. She is a partner at HKA Global in New York and has extensive experience serving clients including several textbook authors as well as multi-national corporation licensors. Her work in this area includes developing and implementing royalty compliance programs and performing audits of licensees around the world. Juli has helped authors and corporate clients recover millions of dollars in asserting their audit rights related to licensed copyrights, trademarks and patents. She is focused on the shift in the publishing industry to electronic content delivery methods and adaptive learning platforms. In addition, Juli has served as a damages expert in matters involving royalty disputes in the publishing industry.
Higher education is the publishing segment undergoing the most disruptive changes today. Now that many are available in digital form, publishers and universities are implementing new models for creating, distributing, and charging students for college text materials, especially in introductory classes. University libraries have begun to subsidize publication of faculty written titles on their own or in partnership with their university presses. Among the distribution innovations offered on campus to help more students afford to attend college in their chosen field of study are equitable access, in which all students pay the same flat fee per semester for all their text materials regardless of major, and inclusive access, in which publishers distribute materials digitally to all students under various subscription and billing options. This panel will explore the challenges that faculty (many as authors), publishers, and universities face to support these models and the goal of making college more affordable for more students.
Cheryl Cuillier Casey is the Open Education Librarian for The University of Arizona's University Libraries. She leads the library's open educational resource (OER) initiatives and is involved in national OER projects. She is also the network manager for the UA's Pressbooks platform, which enables UA students and employees to create and publish OER and other publications.
Christopher Kenneally is host of Velocity of Content, a twice-weekly podcast from Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). He is Senior Director, Content Marketing, at CCC, where he develops content and programming covering publishing and research. As an independent journalist, Christopher Kenneally wrote for the New York Times, Boston Globe, and many other publications. He also reported for WBUR-FM (Boston), National Public Radio, and WGBH-TV (PBS-Boston). He is author of Massachusetts 101 and The Massachusetts Legacy.
Laura Stevens is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Cengage Group, one of the world’s largest education technology companies. Under her leadership, the realigned Legal team at Cengage tackled longstanding challenges of the publishing industry to enable launch of Cengage Unlimited, the industry’s first all-access subscription service.
Lily Todorinova is Open Educational Research/Undergraduate Experience Librarian at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She works with faculty and programs in redesigning course offerings to be more affordable and accessible to students. Lily’s recent scholarship explores issues related to adoption of Open Educational Resources and the role of academic libraries in promoting OER. She is also an instructor for the Open Education Network’s OER Certificate in Librarianship program.
Dr. Derek Weber will share his experiences transforming his lab manual from print to digital, including insights into his use of intentional design and learning science to enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes.
Derek Weber is a Professor of Biology and Microbiology in the Department of Science and Engineering at Raritan Valley Community College. He earned his PhD in Biomolecular Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His current scholarly work focuses on the use of instructional technology in a flipped classroom to create a more active and engaging learning community. Weber is the recipient of multiple recognitions and awards, including the Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology at the International Teaching and Learning Conference.
What is one of the most efficient tools for improving one’s writing and also one of the most avoided tools for academic writers? Feedback! We’ve heard (and used) so many excuses: Don’t have time; Don’t want to overburden already busy colleagues; The work is not ready for others’ eyes; and more. In this interactive presentation, presenters Wendi Zimmer and Erin McTigue address the biggest obstacles to seeking feedback—the ones that we have identified and those that attendees bring to the session. Gain strategies for 1) handling the emotional barriers of seeking and receiving feedback, 2) proactively creating time for feedback, 3) building a feedback support system, 4) understanding different types of feedback for different writing stages, and 5) communicating in a way that results in better feedback. Attendees will leave with a reframed view of feedback and a series of tools equipping them to get more frequent and valuable feedback.
Wendi Zimmer , Ph.D., is the co-director of a university-wide writing support program (POWER) and Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University. Her doctoral degree is in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Literacy Education. Wendi's work includes providing writing support to develop strong writing habits and increase writing and publishing productivity for graduate and undergraduate students, curriculum redesign efforts, and delivery of professional development programming related to teaching and learning. She currently teaches and consults in the areas of writing and communication.
After being a tenured professor at Texas A&M University, Erin McTigue started her own business, The Positive Academic, through which she mentors and coaches academics in writing and productivity, as well as runs workshops. While at Texas A&M, she co-directed a university-wide writing support program (POWER) and developed an academic writing course for international students. Erin is widely published, has won teaching and mentoring awards, and continually aims to bring a lightness of spirit to the weight of academia.
Open to academic writers of all authoring experiences, this session focuses on two important aspects towards a completed writing project: one’s writing approach and writing blocks.
This session is for you if:
During our time together, we’ll:
You’ll leave this session:
Dr. Michelle Rivera-Clonch is Co-Founder of Writing in Depth: An Academic Writing Retreat which recently celebrated its 12th year of sold-out retreats. She owns a private psychology practice in Orlando, FL and teaches in the Graduate Studies in Counseling program at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. Her book, A Depth Psychological Study of the Peace Symbol, will be published by Routledge in 2023.
Writing takes time and mentoring writers takes time. This can create natural competition for resources; however, in this session, presenters Erin McTigue and Tracey Hodges work to discard the scarcity mindset and reframe mentoring academic authors as an opportunity for both parties to grow in their writing skill motivation. As professional writing coaches, this interactive session will be organized around common questions that faculty have shared with them regarding mentoring in academia—highlighting the desire of wanting to be a good mentor and the mindset of not having enough time and energy. They will present the approach of mutualistic mentorship to increase faculty’s joy in writing while helping mentor future generations of academic writers, and use this approach to unpack real-life scenarios and provide innovative, less costly, and more impactful strategies for balancing mentorship and productivity. Attendees will leave with creative solutions to decrease the cost of mentoring academic writers while increasing the benefits.
After being a tenured professor at Texas A&M University, Erin McTigue started her own coaching business, The Positive Academic, through which she coaches academics in writing and productivity, as well as runs workshops. While at Texas A&M, she co-directed a university-wide writing support program (POWER) and developed an academic writing course for international students. Erin is widely published, has won teaching and mentoring awards, and continually aims to bring a lightness of spirit to the weight of academia.
Tracey S. Hodges is Owner and Chief Creative Officer of The Empowering Advocate LLC, specializing in educational research and coaching, and Senior Business Analyst for Elm Creek Technical & Professional Services LLC. She is a former Assistant Professor, Director of a National Writing Project site, Director of a literacy center, and English teacher. She’s edited three research handbooks, served as an associate editor for Assessing Writing, and has authored more than 50 scholarly articles.
In this hands-on session, presenters Micki Caskey and Julie Combs will explore how to identify, develop, and incorporate metaphors in scholarly writing. First, you will engage in a reflective activity to identify potential and powerful metaphors that align with a current or future writing project. Second, you will review metaphorical concepts and practice strategies to help us develop metaphors for an article, chapter, or book. Third, in small groups, you will examine and discuss exemplars of metaphors other authors have used in their scholarly writing. Fourth, you will practice incorporating metaphors in your writing. Finally, they will share their experiences with metaphors and how incorporating metaphors can be part of your growing scholarly writing practice.
Micki M. Caskey is Professor Emerita at Portland State University whose areas of specialization include scholarly writing, doctoral education, and middle grades research. She works with doctoral students and early career faculty to support their writing and scholarly productivity. Micki is co-series editor of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education and The Handbook of Resources in Middle Level Education as well as the former editor of Research in Middle Level Education Online, an international peer-reviewed research journal. She is author or editor of more than 75 publications and 125 conference presentations.
Julie P. Combs is Professor of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. Julie conducts research in the areas of school leadership, doctoral studies, and college readiness. Her most recent publication is The Hiring Process Matters: The Role of Person-Job and Person-Organization Fit in Teacher Satisfaction and The Trust Factor: Strategies for School Leaders, available from Routledge.
In writing Are there any ways to build bridges from reflective journal writing to academic writing? In this session, two accomplished journal keepers, including one native Spanish speaker, will share their experiences using reflective journal writing to develop and submit conference proposals, journal articles, and, even, book proposals. Attendees will practice three journal writing strategies and immediately apply them to a current proposal or journal article.
Dannelle D. Stevens is Professor Emerita from the Portland State University College of Education. Her degree is in educational psychology from Michigan State. After retiring from PSU, she worked part-time for eight years as Faculty-in-Residence for Academic Writing for the PSU center for teaching and learning. Dannelle is the author of four books full of insights and strategies for faculty in their essential roles as teachers, writers, and members of an academic community. Her most recent book is, Write more, publish more, stress less! Five key principles for a creative and scholarly practice. Nationally and internationally, she has consulted, offered workshops, and individual coaching on rubrics, academic writing, reflective practice, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as well as survival strategies for successful navigation of an academic career.
Paulina Zepeda Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor of Business at the Universidad Catholica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. Dr. Gutierrez has an extensive background in marketing and human resource development. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Portland State University where she received her EdD.
Frustrating, Confusing, Unproductive, Time-consuming… sentiments often shared by doctoral students and their supervisors regarding the feedback process in academic writing. How can faculty and students engage with feedback in meaningful and productive ways?
In this session, presenter Tracy Spies will share the critical design elements of a structured writing feedback group and how the dialogue within each element promotes doctoral students’ self-regulation, agency, and advancement of scholarly writing knowledge and skills. Attendees will discuss the benefits and barriers to implementing, facilitating, and maintaining these groups
Dr. Tracy G. Spies is an Associate Professor of English Language Learning in the Department of Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education (EMS) at UNLV. Her research focuses on creating high quality language environments for multilingual students across the age span. She works in collaboration with multilingual doctoral students to develop strategies and design tools to address the unique challenges associated with academic writing in a non-native language.
In this roundtable discussion, presenters Micki Caskey and Julie Combs will review and discuss a recent case of blatant plagiarism, one discovered through happenstance. After they review the case, they will consider the following key questions:
After considering these questions, they will exchange ideas for protecting your scholarly work from unscrupulous authors and predatory publishers. At the end of the session, you will feel empowered to set publication boundaries to reduce the likelihood of future plagiarism.
Micki M. Caskey is Professor Emerita at Portland State University whose areas of specialization include scholarly writing, doctoral education, and middle grades research. She works with doctoral students and early career faculty to support their writing and scholarly productivity. Micki is co-series editor of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education and The Handbook of Resources in Middle Level Education as well as the former editor of Research in Middle Level Education Online, an international peer-reviewed research journal. She is author or editor of more than 75 publications and 125 conference presentations.
Julie P. Combs Combs is Professor of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. Julie conducts research in the areas of school leadership, doctoral studies, and college readiness. Her most recent publication is The Hiring Process Matters: The Role of Person-Job and Person-Organization Fit in Teacher Satisfaction and The Trust Factor: Strategies for School Leaders, available from Routledge.
Some say, "At its best, academic writing is like writing a report-- just tell the facts. Readers only care about the results or findings, anyway.” As a writer as well as a researcher, by infusing your writing with passion and persuasion, you will harness a peculiar power over your reader's attention. You will demonstrate why you care about the topic and why they should also care. More will read your work beyond the title and abstract. More will cite your ideas. You will find a deeper satisfaction in writing about your work.
Yet, where and how do you infuse passion and persuasion into your academic writing? In this session participants will learn four key strategies that gain and sustain your reader's attention.
Dannelle D. Stevens is Professor Emerita from the Portland State University College of Education. Her degree is in educational psychology from Michigan State. After retiring from PSU, she worked part-time for eight years as Faculty-in-Residence for Academic Writing for the PSU center for teaching and learning. Dannelle is the author of four books full of insights and strategies for faculty in their essential roles as teachers, writers, and members of an academic community. Her most recent book is, Write more, publish more, stress less! Five key principles for a creative and scholarly practice. Nationally and internationally, she has consulted, offered workshops, and individual coaching on rubrics, academic writing, reflective practice, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as well as survival strategies for successful navigation of an academic career.
Long-time textbook author Karen Morris will discuss the ups and downs of writing, lessons she’s learned, hints for success, and pitfalls to avoid. Her advice is the result of writing 8 editions for three publishers, with four rotating co-authors, and editors too numerous to count—and that refers to only one of several textbooks she writes/has written.
Karen Morris writes textbooks, a treatise for lawyers, a magazine column, and previously a blog for a publishing company. She is also a municipal judge and a Professor of Law at Monroe Community College.