Teaching Pathway
A collaboration between the Academic Writing Program and the MFA Program, The Teaching Pathway prepares MFA students to teach college-level academic writing and affords them two years of experience teaching and tutoring Manhattanville University undergraduate students. The Pathway requires students to attend the MFA Program for three years (six consecutive fall and spring semesters), and during this time they are known as Teaching and Tutoring Fellows. After two semesters of training and evaluation, qualified Teaching and Tutoring Fellows serve for four semesters as the instructor of record for sections of College Writing I or College Writing II and as tutors in the Writing Center. In exchange for their work training and teaching, Fellows receive tuition waivers as detailed below.
To apply for the Teaching Pathway, in addition to following the usual application process for the MFA Program, prospective Teaching and Tutoring Fellows will write an essay focused on their experience tutoring and/or teaching writing or interest in doing so. The MFA Director will also interview all prospective Teaching and Tutoring Fellows during the application process. Applicants admitted into the MFA Program will be considered for The Teaching Pathway based on their experience and promise as college-level writing instructors. Final acceptance into The Teaching Pathway is contingent on passing a background check administered by the University’s Human Resources Department.
In the Fall semester of their first year in the Pathway, Fellows are required to take two MFA courses as well as ENW 5006: Theories of Teaching and Tutoring Writing, a pedagogy-focused course that prepares them to tutor in the Writing Center and teach academic writing to first-year undergraduate students. Fellows are also expected to attend monthly Writing Center staff meetings, assist with administrative duties in the Writing Center, and co-facilitate at least one Writing Center workshop. During this training period, the Writing Center Director will supervise the Fellows. In exchange for this training work, Fellows receive a 3-credit tuition waiver from the University.
In the Spring semester of their first year, Fellows are required to take two MFA courses as well as ENW 5007: Practicum in Teaching and Tutoring Writing, a practical course that again prepares them to teach and tutor academic writing to first-year undergraduate students in both the classroom and the Writing Center. In addition to the hour-long meeting of ENW 5007 and 1.25 hours of course work per week, Fellows are expected to serve as embedded tutors in a section of College Writing I or College Writing II on a weekly basis (1.25 hours). This work includes observing the instructor’s teaching methods, facilitating small group and individual classroom activities, and teaching at least one lesson at midterm. To prepare for these class meetings, Fellows are expected to meet for 30 minutes weekly with the instructor of the course in which they are embedded. Additionally, they will tutor in person in the Writing Center for 4 hours per week, attend monthly Writing Center staff meetings, and assist with administrative duties in the Writing Center, under the supervision of the Writing Center Director. In exchange for this training work, Fellows receive a 3-credit tuition waiver from the University.
During this spring semester, the Writing Center Director and a member of the Academic Writing faculty will evaluate Fellows to ensure their preparedness to tutor in the Writing Center and teach College Writing I and College Writing II. During this evaluation, the Writing Center Director and/or faculty member will observe the Fellow tutoring in the Writing Center and teaching a lesson in a College Writing class. Following these observations, the Director and/or faculty member will interview the Fellow to review the observation notes, review the Fellow’s learning during ENW 5006 and ENW 5007, and discuss the Fellow’s preparedness to become the instructor of record in College Writing classes. The Director and/or faculty member will then produce a formal written evaluation of the Fellow’s preparedness to become the instructor of record in College Writing classes and submit it to the MFA Director no later than April 15.
Fellows who are deemed prepared to teach College Writing classes will be responsible for the following during their third, fourth, fifth, and sixth semesters in The Pathway: teaching one section of College Writing I or College Writing II per semester, including preparing lessons, teaching lessons, grading assignments, and meeting with students; keeping a reflexive teaching journal; developing syllabi and teaching materials for the following semester; tutoring for 5 hours per week in the Writing Center and/or facilitating Writing Center workshops; attending monthly Writing Center meetings and Academic Writing program meetings; meeting for 30 minutes per week with an Academic Writing faculty mentor to review teaching materials, assessments, and best teaching practices. The faculty mentor will conduct a teaching observation and evaluation for each Fellow once per semester, and the Writing Center Director or Academic Writing faculty member will conduct a Writing Center observation once per year. In the case of a poor evaluation, a Fellow will be required to respond to the evaluation and be evaluated again until a satisfactory evaluation is received. In Fellows’ fourth through sixth semesters, they will review with the faculty mentor student evaluations from the previous semester. During these final two years of The Teaching Pathway, a Fellow will receive a 9-credit tuition waiver per year to be distributed over the Fall and Spring semesters as determined by the Fellow and the MFA Director.
Students who are deemed unprepared to tutor and teach College Writing classes will temporarily lose their Teaching and Tutoring Fellow status and enter a probationary period. During this period, students will work to prepare themselves to tutor and teach College Writing classes by completing the following: serving as an embedded tutor in a College Writing class, which they will attend twice per week (2.5 hours); meeting with the instructor of the class in which they are embedded for 30 minutes per week; meeting with the Academic Writing faculty mentor for 30 minutes per week; tutoring for 2 hours per week in the Writing Center; developing teaching materials and keeping a reflexive teaching journal. During this time, the student will not receive a tuition waiver or other funding from the University. Toward the end of the semester, the faculty mentor and Writing Center Director will follow the same evaluation process as occurred at the end of the students’ first year (detailed above) and will submit a formal written evaluation to the MFA Director no later than December 1. If the faculty mentor deems the student prepared to teach College Writing, the student will be reinstated as a Teaching and Tutoring Fellow, responsible for the workload detailed in the previous paragraph. The Fellow will then receive a 6-credit tuition waiver for the Spring semester of their second year and a 9-credit tuition waiver for their third year. If the faculty mentor continues to find the student unprepared to teach College Writing classes, the student will be removed from the Teaching Pathway. If the funding is available and at the MFA Director’s discretion, the student will have the option of becoming a Graduate Assistant for the MFA Program.
To remain in The Teaching Pathway, Teaching and Tutoring Fellows must be deemed prepared to teach College Writing and tutor in the Writing Center (as described above); must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0; must not engage in conduct harmful to students, peers, mentors, faculty, and administrators; and must fulfill the basic tutoring and teaching responsibilities, including but not limited to adequate lesson preparation, punctuality, regular attendance and participation in staff and program meetings, timely completion of administrative tasks in the Writing Center, and providing timely feedback and grades on student work.