Research

At the CSTW, we are committed to understanding the changing literacy practices of young people, Ohio State students, the knowledge-making disciplines across campus, and the civic and professional institutions of central Ohio. In addition, we find ourselves in a position to explore literacy learning opportunities from cradle to grave. With these two larger goals in mind, we have set up the following series of research initiatives:

• In spring 2010, the CSTW sponsored the Compose, Read, and Research Unconference: Shared Responsibilities in a New Digital Economy. The unconference gave Ohio business and organizational communicators, literacy educators, educational technologists, librarians, and community literacy specialists an opportunity to address one another and discuss a variety of questions.

• Yearly, the CSTW also funds two dissertation awards (up to $2,500 each) for research on writing, broadly construed.

• Staff in each program within CSTW (Writing Center, Outreach, Writing Across the Curriculum, Minor in Professional Writing, and the Student Technology Consultants) conduct programmatic research to improve its operations and effectiveness. When appropriate, we encourage them to incorporate the research findings into publications that will enrich related disciplines.

Follow the links in this section for a sense of the research that is currently underway. Please feel free to contact the individuals involved in these projects or the CSTW director (selfe.3@osu.edu) if you have any questions about the research agenda represented here or if you would like to collaborate on research projects.