Chalmers University of Technology and faculty writing: Not mentoring writing researchers but trying to foster writing dimensions of higher education via SOTL

Paper in proceeding, 2014

Mentoring early- and mid-career writing researchers in different regions: Case studies across cultural contexts As empirical writing research exploring higher education has only recently become a major research focus, researchers are migrating to it after completion of their academic training. Many of the emerging researchers have long experience in the teaching of writing or language, from various schools. Other emerging writing researchers may have strong research identities but have not yet addressed the special problems posed by understanding writing in higher education. On the other hand, mid-career researchers bring much knowledge, many skills and disciplined habits, as well as a different kind of commitment, often situated in their work as teachers or as other kinds of writing professionals. In addition, the profiles of emerging researchers and the proximately available research communities for crucial exchange and support vary from region to region. This panel will explore the potentials and challenges of programs to mentor early- and mid-career scholars, through presentation of several research initiatives, in Switzerland, Ukraine, Romania, Macedonia, Sweden, Spain, and the U.S.A. Panel members will speak to the needs and the material, linguistic, and political conditions for the group of faculty with whom they work, as well as the scientific value to the field. They will describe the specific goals, the epistemological foundations, the modes of equal exchange and collaboration on which the work is built, and the current outcomes of each initiative. The panel will also provide opportunities to compare programs and how they are inflected by regional needs and opportunities, with the objective of better understanding the international higher education writing research scene, its growth, and trends for its future.