The multi-facetted nature of writing centres in international higher education - adaptable, multilingual, multimodal

Book chapter, 2026

This chapter explores the evolving landscape of writing centers in international higher education, highlighting their adaptability, multilingual engagement, and multimodal approaches. Drawing on institutional profiles from 13 non-U.S. writing centers, it examines how centers across diverse contexts address the complex demands of academic writing instruction. While rooted in the U.S. model of one-to-one writing support, these centers have developed distinct structures and pedagogical strategies aligned with local linguistic, institutional, and cultural realities. The chapter discusses how writing centers navigate challenges such as resource constraints, limited visibility, and traditional views of writing instruction, while also leveraging opportunities for curricular integration, digital expansion, and AI-informed practices. Emphasis is placed on student-centered, genre-based, and multilingual approaches that respond to the needs of increasingly diverse academic communities. By situating writing centers as critical, context-sensitive sites for writing development, the chapter underscores their growing importance in fostering academic writing and institutional transformation in higher education worldwide.