The Writing Fellows Program was established in 1982 to help integrate the study of writing into courses throughout the university. This Program trains selected undergraduates as writing consultants and makes them available to work with students taking courses in a wide variety of disciplines. 

The Writing Fellows assigned to a given course comment on students' written work and hold individual conferences with students where they discuss these comments and revision strategies. By reinforcing writing skills across the curriculum, the Program helps students learn to adapt to different modes/genres, audiences, and rhetorical situations. Writing Fellows also play an important role in helping students satisfy the undergraduate writing requirement at Brown. 

Additionally, faculty who have worked with the Program in the past report that (1) it has allowed them to emphasize high-quality writing in their courses without increasing their workload and (2) that they receive more readable, organizationally sound, and stylistically sophisticated papers, allowing them to devote their energy to evaluating their students’ comprehension of the subject matter.

The number of fellows assigned to your class is dependent on fellow availability and class needs (e.g., assignment page numbers, number of assignments, course enrollment, etc.) to ensure that everyone’s workload remains as equitable and balanced as possible across the board. 

While the number of fellows assigned to a class depends on your course size and number of assignments, the fellowing group—or the group of Writing Fellows assigned to your class—typically works with the same number of students over the course of the semester to deliver feedback on writing assignments and drafts. 

Writing Fellows are embedded within courses that include at least two writing assignments. These assignments should be scaffolded in your syllabus so that writers in your course: 

• Submit their papers to Writing Fellows,
• Receive feedback from Fellows,
• Attend a meeting with Fellows, and
• Revise their drafts before submission.

These assignments can include essay drafts, reports, write-in exams, group projects, and more—as long as it is writing-focused! As peer-focused tutors, Writing Fellows will provide feedback and conference with students (or “fellowees”) to deliver feedback on their writing before students officially submit their drafts to their professor. 

Faculty applications for Writing Fellow support will be reviewed by the Sheridan Advisory board, per the following rubric, to ensure the review process remains as equitable as possible. Selections will be made according to the following criteria:

• Completion of Faculty Writing Fellow application form;
• Robust descriptions of at least two (2) major writing assignments;
• A course schedule that allows time for students to revise and resubmit their assignments after receiving Writing Fellow feedback;
• Clear due dates for all major writing assignments;
• Potential benefit for Writing Fellows (professional, academic, interpersonal, etc.) from working with you and your students; and
• Shared investment in the Writing Fellows Programs’ mission to promote equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist approaches to writing.

Additionally, we strive to provide Writing Fellow assignments equally across disciplinary units (STEM, humanities, social sciences). Click here to see courses we have previously partnered with.

Yes! We are certainly open courses without a WRIT designation in the Registrar’s course listings. In particular, we look for classes that have writing assignments with clear objectives and goals, a sense of how fellows will be effectively integrated into your class, and a commitment to promoting equitable and inclusive approaches to learning. 

Yes! The Writing Fellows Program has students with writing, reading comprehension, and speaking skills across various languages. 

If you are teaching a course in a language other than English, you are encouraged to reach out to writingfellows@brown.edu to confirm we have enough tutors to support your course’s language needs.

All Writing Fellows are required to successfully complete ENGL1190M, “The Teaching and Practice of Writing” to serve as a peer tutor. 

The semester-long training course is an introduction to writing theory and pedagogy, best practices to support revision habits for experienced and inexperienced writers, and effective methods for responding to writing in synchronous and asynchronous formats. The following course immerses students in all the ins and outs of writing and peer tutoring across various disciplines—from STEM, social sciences, and humanities—to ensure all fellows can diligently and efficiently support your class’s writing needs.

We base Writing Fellows assignments on course size/enrollment number, number of assignments, and total page number of assignments, to ensure that all fellows across different classes and disciplines manage an equitable workload. Given this, the number of fellows assigned to a course can drastically vary, so it is entirely dependent on your course needs.

Unfortunately, no, since Writing Fellows are not Teaching Assistants. They are trained peer tutors who meet with students 2–3 times over the course of a semester to review students’ writing and deliver feedback. They do not grade students’ work, and they do not attend your course.

While Writing Fellows can alert faculty to potential AI use, they are not responsible for detecting any generative AI usage in assignments. Before the semester begins, we strongly encourage you to have a clear plagiarism and AI statement/guidelines on your syllabus. We recommend reaching out to Writing and English Language Support Associate Director, Dr. Jenna Morton-Aiken, for additional guidance.

The Writing Center will work with you to create a suite of embedded writing support options catered specifically for your course, which may include:

• Pre-scheduled Writing Center appointments: Students secure individual writing consultation appointments near the beginning of the semester, based on writing assignment due dates listed in your course syllabus;
• Facilitated Writing Peer Response Workshop: In-class workshops providing small group or individual peer-to-peer writing feedback;
• Specialized Writing Workshops: Up to three (3) writing workshops on writing processes, revision strategies, overcoming writer’s block, annotations, citations, and more; and
• Writing Pods: Small peer tutoring groups led by a graduate student Writing Associates assigned to work with students consistently throughout the semester.
• Introduction to the Writing Center: In-class presentation and Q&A about writing support services at Brown.

Please contact Dr. Charles Carroll at Writing_Center@brown.edu to schedule an appointment to discuss writing support options for your courses.

• You love to write yourself and want to continue growing and developing as a writer.
• You enjoy reading others’ writing and you’re excited about the opportunity to talk about and work with other writers on their writing.
• You're committed to anti-racist practice. 
• You’re interested in pursuing leadership roles within the program by becoming a Student Assistant Director or a Diversity and Inclusion Outreach Coordinator.
• You want to be a member of one of the oldest writing fellows programs in the country.
• You're invested in our community values.

Students interested in becoming a Writing Fellow must first complete ENGL 1190M: The Teaching and Practice of Writing. This course introduces students to writing theory and pedagogy, best practices to support revision habits for experienced and inexperienced writers, and effective methods for responding to writing in synchronous and asynchronous formats. Toward the end of the Fall semester, students who successfully complete the course will have the opportunity to apply to become Writing Fellows for the following semester and beyond.

A living list is a set of community guidelines, outlining our expectations for each other and putting into concrete words our collective values as peer mentors and guides. These are considerations we will hold ourselves accountable for in our interactions and communications. As it is living, this is an always in-process list. 

• Listen to receive and do not respond.
• #Leanonme, we are resources for one another.
• Recognize forms of labor.
• Trust, ask. We all still have things to learn.
• Be generous (listeners, humans).
• Asking questions is important.
• Throw sunshine, not shade. 
• Hold people accountable respectfully.
• Be conscientious of communication.
• Respect and lean on writers' vulnerability.