Associate Professor, Director, University Writing Center
Sterne Library 175-C
(205) 996-7179
Research and Teaching Interests: Writing centers, community engagement, faculty writing practices
Office Hours: By appointment
Education:
- B.A., Knox College, English
- M.A., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, English
- Ph.D., Purdue University, English (emphasis in rhetoric and composition)
I direct the University Writing Center, where we help UAB students with all types of writing. I love watching students work through ideas and improve as writers in the UWC, and I love supporting and mentoring UWC tutors as they do this important work.
In addition to directing the UWC, I teach courses in first-year composition and professional writing. In many of my courses, I try to create opportunities for students to engage with Birmingham. Students in my courses have collaborated with Inglenook Elementary School, Inglenook Library, and Workshops, Inc. in Avondale.
My primary research interests include writing center administration, community engagement, and faculty writing practices. My book, Partners in Literacy: A Writing Center Model for Civic Engagement (co-authored with Allen Brizee) describes the research and process behind a three-year partnership between the Purdue University Writing Lab and two adult literacy programs in Lafayette, Indiana.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time outside with my husband, my daughter, and my Instagram semi-famous dog.
-
Recent Courses
- Introduction to Professional Writing
- Writing in the Community (special topic)
- English Composition
- Writing in Birmingham
- Tutoring Writing
-
Select Publications
- Allen Brizee and Jaclyn M. Wells, Partners in Literacy: A Writing Center Model for Civic Engagement (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).
- Jaclyn M. Wells and Lars Soderlund, "A Study of the Practices and Responsibilities of Scholarly Peer Review in Rhetoric and Composition," in College Composition and Communication. (2019).
- Jaclyn M. Wells and Lars Soderlund, “Beyond ‘Just Sit Down and Do It’: Writing Advice from Published Rhetoric and Composition Scholars,” in Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture (2018).
- Jaclyn M. Wells, “Why We Resist ‘Leading the Horse’: Required Tutoring, RAD Research, and Our Writing Center Ideals,” The Writing Center Journal (2016).
- Jaclyn M. Wells, “Faculty at the Threshold: Learning the Foundational Concepts of Service-Learning through the Faculty Fellows Experience,” Reflections: A Journal of Public Rhetoric, Civic Writing, and Service Learning (2016).
- Jaclyn M. Wells, “Investigating Adult Literacy Programs through Community Engagement Research: A Case Study,” Community Literacy Journal (2014).
-
Academic Distinctions and Professional Societies
- National Council of Teachers of English
- International Writing Centers Association
- Southeastern Writing Center Association, 2020 Conference Chair & Alabama State Representative
- Faculty Fellow, UAB Service Learning