About WAC

Writing Across the Curriculum focuses on helping faculty across disciplines incorporate writing into their teaching so that students can use writing to think critically and communicate effectively. We work with faculty to develop high and low-stakes assignments, assessment tools, and feedback practices rooted in an active-learning, process-based approach to writing. By supporting faculty in this way, WAC aims to foster a sustainable culture of learning where students across the university use writing as a mode of learning and learn disciplinary writing conventions.

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Our Mission

Rooted in our identity as a thriving Hispanic-serving institution, the mission of our WAC program is to collaborate and consult with faculty across disciplines to invigorate the institutional writing culture. We do so by promoting the development of students' written communication skills and supporting the use of writing as a pedagogical tool across disciplines.

Through dedicated faculty development, we work to ignite a passion for writing as a powerful teaching and thinking tool, enriching disciplinary learning, and nurturing scholarly growth. We are dedicated to equipping faculty with effective tools and resources they need to expertly employ writing as a transformative teaching tool, thereby empowering students to flourish as effective communicators who use writing for success in their diverse disciplines, careers, and communities.

Our Core Values

  • Learning

    Celebrating the profound impact of writing as a catalyst for critical thinking and deep understanding.

  • Collaboration

    Fostering partnerships with faculty across disciplines and across campus to invigorate writing culture within our institution.

  • Excellence

    Supporting faculty in teaching interdisciplinary writing and using writing in their classrooms as a tool for discovery.

  • Inclusion

    Championing practices that honor the unique nature of culture and language, ensuring that every voice is valued and heard.

  • Empowerment

    Cultivating an environment where faculty flourish as educators adept at teaching with writing and students excel as confident writers.

Meet the Team

Kimberly Harrison

Kimberly Harrison

Director; Professor

Kimberly Harrison is WAC's founding director who, in addition to leading the WAC initiative, directs FIU’s Writing and Rhetoric program and is a Professor of English. Her areas of specialization include writing pedagogy, writing program administration, women’s rhetoric and diary writing. Her book-length publications have focused on composition theory, American women's Civil War rhetoric, and the use of personal writing for public and political persuasion.

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Ming Fang

Associate Director; Associate Teaching Professor

Ming Fang is an associate director of WAC who has worked in FIU’s WAC team since 2012. Ming holds a Ph.D. in Foreign and Second Language Education from the Ohio State University. With her interest in multilingual writing, she’s particularly invested in exploring issues about multilingual students writing across the curriculum, and faculty professional development on multilingual writing and inclusive pedagogy.

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Christine Martorana

Associate Director; Associate Teaching Professor

Christine Martorana is an associate director of WAC. She earned her Ph.D. in English with a focus on Rhetoric and Composition from Florida State University. Her areas of specialization include rhetoric and composition, writing pedagogy, and multimodal composition. She teaches courses in the first-year writing program as well as ENC 3371 Rhetorical Theory and Practice; ENC 3334 Introduction to Writing Studies, ENC 4381 Zine Writing, and ENG 6937 Teaching College Composition.

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Lindsey Maxwell

History; WAC Faculty Fellow

Lindsey B. Maxwell is a Writing Across the Curriculum Fellow and an Assistant Teaching Professor, serving as the Program Director of Online Learning in the Department of History. She specializes in the intersections of religion, politics, and education in U.S. History. Her current research examines the rise of homeschooling in late twentieth-century America and its impact on contemporary education policy debates. As a WAC Fellow, she explores the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in higher education, integrating this work into her interdisciplinary courses, including AMH 4333 History of American Conservatism, AFH 4450 History of South Africa, and HIS 3051 History Through Gaming.

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Michael Creeden

English; WAC Consultant

Michael Creeden is a WAC Consultant and a Teaching Professor in Writing and Rhetoric. A former technical writer and IS Project Leader, Mike's teaching focuses on workplace writing skills and on student professional development. He enjoys working with faculty from all disciplines, but is especially excited to work on public-facing writing projects, and on projects aimed at increasing AI literacy in students and faculty.

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