To The Instructor:
(From the Writing Program Staff)

Dear Writing Instructor,

Welcome to the Writing Program at Illinois State University. Whether you are a new or returning master's or PhD candidate, an adjunct faculty member, or an undergraduate teaching assistant, you play an important role in the success of our program, and we are glad to have you with us.

The Writing Program at Illinois State University is unusual, perhaps even unique in a number of ways.  First, and perhaps most obvious, all of our writing courses are taught in networked computer labs.  We were the first program in the country to offer this feature and served as a model for others moving in this direction.  Second, for the past several years, we have been able to offer new master's candidates a teaching apprenticeship in the program before asking them to teach classes on their own.  We feel it is a very real advantage to graduate students still in the process of adjusting to the rigors of graduate school not to have to adjust to teaching classes on their own at the same time.  Third, we strive as a program to provide monthly professional development opportunities which all instructors are expected to attend. These are intended to aid each instructors' professional growth and promote continuity and community across the program.  Fourth, we have a large program staff dedicated to helping our writing instructors make the most of their teaching and learning experiences at Illinois State.  And finally, our program is a vibrant, integral part of the English Department and all of its undergraduate and graduate degree programs.  Thus, you will find in the department a number of faculty members who are widely known and recognized for their work in composition, rhetoric, technical and creative writing, and related fields.  All of them are dedicated to ensuring that our program remains successful and dynamic. 

The purpose of this manual is to make your job easier. In it you will find information on the program, the staff, the FY composition course (English 101), and much more.  We hope you will make frequent use of this publication, and we also hope that you will let us know how we can make it even more helpful to instructors in the future.  If you have suggestions for additions or corrections, please give them to the staff so thast they can incorporate them into future editions!

Again, welcome to the program and best wishes for a successful, productive year at Illinois State.

Sincerely,
The Writing Program Staff