UW-Milwaukee is unique among the universities in Wisconsin: It is a top-tier research university with an access mission – a stated goal of helping all students, especially those from underrepresented minorities, receive a college education.
That made UWM an ideal location for one of this year’s Modern Language Association’s summer research institutes. From June 15-20, the UWM College of Letters & Science, in conjunction with Madison College, co-hosted 30 educators from Access-Orientation Institutions (AOIs) from Wisconsin, Illinois, and surrounding areas for a week-long Summer Institute on Reading and Writing Pedagogy. The workshop was organized and co-facilitated by UWM’s Associate Professor of English Shevaun Watson, who also serves as the Director of Composition.
Each year, the MLA hosts several summer institutes aimed at bolstering and enhancing teaching of reading and writing at AOIs. The MLA received funding from the Mellon Foundation to offer competitive grants of $20,000 each to pairs of 2- and 4-year colleges that are committed access institutions. The 2025 grants went to UWM and Madison College, University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College, and Georgia State University and Georgia Highlands College.
What made the Milwaukee institute unique was its focus on generative AI in relation to college students’ reading and writing. The workshop sought to improve teachers’ use of AI in the classroom through a critical AI literacy curriculum. Watson has already become a leader in integrating artificial intelligence in UWM’s English 101 courses, and she used the same know-how this summer during the institute’s panels, workshops, and mentoring opportunities.
“I was honored and energized to co-lead this important event,” Watson said afterwards. “We were able to provide transformative professional development for a fantastic group of teachers at AOIs. I’m especially happy that we deepened people’s understanding of AI and learning.”
The Institute was a success, thanks in large parts to its facilitators. In addition to Watson, Madison College Writing Center Director and Chair of English Sarah Johnson served as a host. The event was supported by individuals in UWM’s Department of English, and 11 UWM faculty and graduate teaching assistants attended as participants.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science