UMass Lowell's First Year Writing Program

Students in CWII have an opportunity to interact with researchers at the University. This interaction can take many forms. Some options are described below.

Find research-related events on our campus calendar.

1.Attend a research presentation

Students attend a symposium, lecture, thesis defense, poster session, or other presentation

a. Beforehand, students prepare questions to ask the presenter(s). These might include writing questions (what’s the hardest part of writing for you? Do you make an outline? How many times do you revise? Do you write by hand or on a computer?). They might also include research questions (how did you get interested in this topic? What’s most difficult about this research? Has your research question changed as you have worked on this project?). Students can also ask about the research topic/results specifically.

b. When students bring their experience back into their CWII course, they can

• Write about their experience in a stand-alone homework assignment OR
• Present to the class about their experience OR
• Include the experience in a piece of reflective writing (How did this person’s practices/challenges relate to yours? What would be exciting/challenging for you about pursuing this type of work?) OR
• Include the experience in a piece of writing about the same topic. OR

2.Interview a researcher

• Students find an undergraduate, graduate student, or faculty member working in a field that interests them. OR
• Students prepare interview questions and carry out an interview OR
• Students incorporate the experience in a piece of writing about research, about the topic, or about writing.

 3. Tour a lab, studio, or other research space

• Students prepare by reading about the type of research carried out in such spaces. OR
• Students take notes while touring the space OR
• Students incorporate their experience into a piece of writing