This Is Howe We Do It

It’s the end of an era! In this milestone episode, we’re saying goodbye to our founding producer and Season 1 host, Rena Perez, as she prepares for her next big chapter.Rena has been the heart of the show since day one, and while we’re sad to see her go, we couldn't let her leave without a proper trip down memory lane. Join us as we look back at an exciting first season that took us deep behind the scenes of the work we do at the Howe Center for Writing Excellence.In This Episode, We Revisit:Principles for Peer Review and Perspectives on EdTech with Kelli Rushek and Will ChesherEmbracing ePortfolios with Beth Reed & Julie SzucsIdeate, Research, and Create: Processes for AI Partnerships with Dennis CheathamThe Value of Degree Programs in Professional Writing with Kerigan Moore and Cassell PresnellOpinions on Op-Eds with Jen Bulanda & Anne WhitesellThank You, Rena!Rena, thank you for your vision, your voice, and for building this project from the ground up. You will be missed!Stay tuned: We’ll be back soon with fresh voices and new insights for Season 2. Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special "passing of the torch" episode, our new host, Mandy Olejnik, sits down with outgoing host Rena Perez to discuss the genre of podcasting. Rena reflects on her time behind the mic at This Is Howe We Do It, exploring podcasting as a unique form of public writing and storytelling. Tune in for Rena’s key strategies, takeaways, and advice for anyone looking to start their own podcast journey.Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we bring back HWAC Assistant Director Dr. Mandy Olejnik to discuss how the HCWE has responded to the implications of genAI on writing and writing instruction, including the design of the AI-Informed Writing Pedagogy Certificate Program. Resources Related to or Mentioned in this Episode/Plugged by Our GuestsUpcoming HWAC Workshops & EventsIntegrating AI to Guide LearningCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with undergraduate writing consultants and emerging scholars Kendyl Gurren and Alyssa Rose to explore their journeys as writers, researchers, and collaborators. Drawing on their work in the Howe Writing Center, Kendyl and Alyssa reflect on how consulting has reshaped the way they understand writing, teaching, and learning across contexts. They take listeners behind the scenes of their writing and publication processes—from generating research questions and developing arguments to grappling with feedback, revision, and academic voice. Along the way, they highlight the power of collaboration, reflection, and undergraduate research as pathways into scholarly communities, offering insight and encouragement for students navigating their own writing lives. Check out their published works linked below!Resources Related to or Mentioned in this Episode/Plugged by Our Guests"Becoming Known" - Kendyl Gurren (Queen City Writers)"Empowering Authentic, Agentic Adolescent Voices in ELA Practice Through Critical Approaches with Young Adult Literature" - Kelli A. Rushek, Delaney Barrett, Christopher Carter, Lada Gallant, Alyssa Rose, Grace Williams, and Katherine E. Batchelor (Ohio Journal of English Language Arts)Howe Writing CenterCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we talk with undergraduate writing consultants Katie Barton and Kelsie Weingart about their experiences supporting writers in the Howe Center for Business Writing (HCBW). They share what it’s like to work with business students on everything from presentations to team writing—especially through fast-paced, focused appointments—and how consulting in the HCBW’s recently revamped space shapes their approach and offerings for business and professional writers. They also reflect on how consulting has strengthened their own professional communication, offering insight into the skills they’ll carry forward into their diverse career paths.Resources Related to or Mentioned in this Episode/Plugged by Our GuestsHowe Center for Business WritingHCBW Resources for Business Writing and PresentingCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can a degree or minor in Professional Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, or Writing Studies offer students today—and why should institutions invest in programs like it? In this episode, Miami undergraduate students and Howe Writing Center consultants Kerigan Moore and Cassell Presnell share how they found their way to studying writing, what they’ve gained from their courses and writing center work, and how these experiences have prepared them for life beyond college—in their case, pursuing law school! Together, we explore what makes degrees in writing invaluable for students and for the institutions that support them.Resources Related to or Mentioned in this Episode/Plugged by Our GuestsHowe Writing CenterWhy Professional Writing at Miami? Professional Writing Major, BA at Miami UniversityCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Howe Writing Center Director Dr. Lizzie Hutton and Graduate Assistant Director Cam Cavaliere to talk about the processes for introducing consultants to writing center work and mentoring the undergraduate and graduate writing consultants who work at the HWC. More specifically, we discuss how students’ experiences consulting with their peers in the writing center and engaging in writing center research and programming supports them as writers, consultants, and researchers, preparing them with a variety of professional skills.Resources Related to or Mentioned in this Episode/Plugged by Our GuestsHowe Writing CenterInformation for Applying to Be a Howe Writing Center ConsultantCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with two Howe Writing Center undergraduate writing center consultants Katie Dykhuizen & Charlotte Melville, to get their student perspectives on peer review processes and giving feedback to other students. They share their experiences engaging in peer review cross classroom and consultation settings and reflect on what makes feedback processes and interactions effective, how different formats shape this process, and what they’ve learned from working with peers on their writing. Which strategies have worked best for you when engaging in this kind of peer feedback?Resources Related to or Mentioned in this Episode"Engaging Students in Effective Peer Response" - Howe Writing Across the Curriculum Teaching ResourceLiz Lerman's Critical Response ProcessResources Plugged by Our Guests"Being Told and Not Told: Epistemology as a Literary Device and Theme in Never Let Me Go" by Charlotte Melville, published in The Rock Creek ReviewKatie Dykhuizen's STEM research Google SiteCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.If you'd like to interact with us about this episode, comment to us through our Spotify or through our Instagram @thisishowewedoitpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Will Chesher (Howe facilitator) and Dr. Kelli Rushek about their work in a cross-disciplinary Faculty Learning Community exploring peer review—also known as peer response, peer feedback, or reader response. They share insights from their research into the practice of peer review and reflect on their experiences testing out two different edtech platforms designed to support it. Tune in for practical takeaways on how to make peer feedback more meaningful in the classroom (and for an outstanding Montel Jordan impression from Kelli)!Resources Related to this EpisodeEli Review - Peer review platform developed by writing studies scholars Jeff Grabill, Bill Hart-Davidson, and Mike McLeod"Engaging Students in Effective Peer Response" - Howe Writing Across the Curriculum Teaching ResourceWhat is an FLC?: Miami University Center for Teaching Excellence "Faculty Learning Communities (FLC)"Article about this project: "Howe Center for Writing Excellence and Center for Teaching Excellence Earn Technology Grant Award to Pilot Peer Review Platforms in Spring 2023"Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are joined by Dustin Edwards to unpack digital damage, his framework for understanding the extractive nature of large-scale digital infrastructures drawn from his forthcoming book, Enduring Digital Damage: Rhetorical Reckonings for Planetary Survival. His insights into the environmental and ethical costs of using AI tools and the implications of digital infrastructure on people and places prompts us to question and consider the impacts of choices for/when using (or not using) generative AI tools.Resources Related to this EpisodePre-order Dustin's book ahead of its expected November 2025 release here: Enduring Digital Damage: Rhetorical Reckonings for Planetary Survival,Dustin Edward's previous work in this area: Edwards, Dustin. “Digital Rhetoric on a Damaged Planet: Storying Digital Damage as Inventive Response to the Anthropocene.” Rhetoric Review, vol. 39, no. 1, 2020, 59–72. Honorable Mention for the 2020 Theresa J. Enos Anniversary Award. Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we hear the perspectives of three undergraduate writing center consultants, Meredith Perkins, Kylie Mullis, and Ally Britton-Heitz about their research on AI-generated feedback on writing and how it compares to the written feedback given by writing center consultants. We discuss what they have learned about using AI tools, the strengths and weaknesses of the feedback it generates, and the implications for these tools on writing centers and writers' practices for engaging with feedback.Resources Related to this EpisodeGraphic with Research Findings on AI-Generated vs. Consultant-Generated FeedbackAlly Britton-Heitz & Jeffrey Merhout's 2024 article: "Human Roles in Implementation and Oversight of Artificial Intelligence: Towards a Governance Framework"Perkins, Meredith, Ally Britton-Heitz's, and Kylie Mullis. (2025) "How the Lack of Cohesion in University AI Policy Poses Challenges to Writing Consultants." Praxis: A Writing Center Journal 22(1). Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dennis Cheatham and I discuss various ways for partnering with generative AI as a thinking partner for writing and designing through a process-centered framework. Drawing from a course he specifically designed around creating with AI, this conversation offers insight into the use of AI tools in teaching design and writing in ways that focus on and assess the process as the means for learning. We emphasize the need for human writers and designers in this process while also highlighting the capabilities and consequences of using AI tools.Resources Related to this EpisodeDennis's Design Workbench WebsiteAI Design Workbench Website Integrating AI to Guide Learning (HCWE Teaching Resource)AI Text Generators and Teaching Writing Starting Points for InquiryAI Text Generators: Sources to Stimulate Discussion Among Teachers (compiled by Anna Mills)Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back from a brief hiatus with a really exciting episode for you! In this episode, you'll hear from Liz Wardle about the sensemaking method that she has developed and evolved from our Howe Faculty Writing Fellows Program. We offer an introduction to the what, why, and how behind the sensemaking method for supporting teams of faculty looking to solve problems and make change in their institutions. We are then joined by Mark Sidebottom and Jennifer Kinney to share their perspective as faculty who have been both participants and facilitators in different programs informed by this method. Resources Related to this EpisodeFaculty Writing Fellows Program"Howe Center Hosts Groundbreaking "Sensemaking for Student Success" Seminar funded by Lumina FoundationSensemaking for Student Success: A Cohort-Based Faculty Change MethodElizabeth Wardle's website: Activating Your ExpertiseVideos on our Sensemaking Method (Howe Center for Writing Excellence Youtube Channel)Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts.Also, follow us on Instagram at our newly launched account! Feel free to send us questions or comment on our post for this episode to share your response to this question: What problems at your institution may benefit from using the sensemaking method to leverage faculty expertise? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I talk with Assistant Director of the Howe Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program, Dr. Mandy Olejnik, to discuss two different perspectives on graduate student writing—our experiences with being graduate student writers and insights for supporting and advising graduate student writers, drawing from Mandy's research and our HCWE programming on graduate student writing support. We reflect on some of the differences between writing as a graduate student and an undergraduate student, the affective elements of writing in graduate school, and the needed systems that advisors and faculty can help change and innovate to support graduate students.Resources Related to this EpisodeHWAC Resource: Supporting Graduate WritersHCWE News: Changing Graduate Student Writing with Dr. Mandy Olejnik“Navigating Contradictions while Learning to Write: A Disciplinary Case Study of a First-term Doctoral Writer.” by Elizabeth Hutton, Mandy Olejnik, and Miranda Corpora"Potential of WAC in Graduate Writing Support: Helping Faculty Improve Systems of Graduate Writing" by Mandy OlejnikCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features a conversation with former Graduate Assistant Director for the Howe Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program Will Chesher as he reflects on his role and experiences as a graduate student working in this administrative role. This discussion offers insight into the projects from the past few years that were especially memorable to Will and the impact doctoral students can make in this role.Resources from Will's Projects at the HCWEFaculty Writing Fellows ProgramMiami Writing InstituteArticle announcing Peer Review FLCResources Shared by WillCompRhet Money MapRook Music (Will's music)Finally, if you're interested in reading more or applying to the English: Composition & Rhetoric graduate programs at Miami University of Ohio and the opportunities offered to doctoral students, you can learn more at this website. Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, our behind the scenes executive producer Will Chesher steps in as a guest host to interview Miami graduate student, and your very own podcast host, Rena Perez as this week's guest to continue the conversation from last episode on ePortfolios. While our last episode featured faculty perspectives on teaching ePortfolios, Rena offers a writers’ experiences and insights into the types of ePortfolios you may create, where to start when creating an ePortfolio, and the processes of selection and reflection on your chosen content.Resources on ePortfoliosAcross the Disciplines special issue: ePortfolios Across the DisciplinesAAC&U: ePortfoliosPresentation by Dr. Randy Bass on ePortfoliosPortfolio Keeping: A Guide for Students by Nedra Reynolds and Elizabeth Davis (link on Amazon)Check out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we unpack the genre of ePortfolios and their value for teaching and learning with Miami instructors Beth Reed and Julie Szucs. Drawing from their experiences participating in Faculty Learning Communities on ePortfolios through the HCWE, we share ideas for implementing and scaffolding ePortfolio assignments and what students can do with these compositions at the university and beyond.Resources on ePortfolios or Mentioned in the EpisodeAcross the Disciplines special issue, ePortfolios Across the DisciplinesAAC&U: ePortfoliosPresentation by Dr. Randy Bass on ePortfoliosCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our third episode, we are joined by two Miami instructors, Jen Bulanda and Anne Whitesell, to continue our discussion of op-eds and their usefulness for helping students write to public audiences on issues of interest to them. Anne and Jen offer different perspectives on how and why op-eds can be designed and taught as an assignment and why they are useful for students’ learning and writing.Resources on Op-Eds/Mentioned in the EpisodeWrite to Vote Project How to Write a Compelling OpEd_0 (1).pdfThe Miami StudentThe Howe Writing Center: make an appointmentCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our second episode features Miami student Meredith Perkins, who has written op-eds for various newspapers, to discuss this genre as an important means for sharing your voice and perspective and engaging public audiences and strategies for organizing your ideas from her experiences learning how to write and publish them.Resources on Op-EdsWrite to Vote ProjectResources Mentioned in the EpisodeThe Miami StudentMeredith's personal writing portfolio websites: meredithwrotethis.com & https://sites.google.com/view/meredithwrotethis/homeThe Howe Writing Center: make an appointmentCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the episode, Elizabeth Hoover and Liz Wardle talk about the purpose of capstone projects, the importance of letting students take the lead, and what students learn from these engaging capstone experiences at Miami University.HCWE handout on  Creating Capstone AssignmentsMiami Writing Spotlight about Designing Transformative CapstonesCheck out additional resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"This is Howe We Do It” is a podcast from the Howe Center for Writing Excellence at Miami University of Ohio where teachers and students talk about writing and teaching writing. Each episode features a conversation about a different genre of writing (e.g. ePortfolios) or discussion of writing (e.g. AI and writing), offering a way to learn from our guests’ experiences and perspectives as writers and teachers as they reflect on their process for composing and/or teaching. Podcast episodes will also be accompanied by a dedicated webpage about that topic with links, annotated resources, assignment prompts, and examples that you can adapt and use for your own contexts. Check out these resources at our website: https://miamioh.edu/HCWE or write to us at [email protected] if you have questions or ideas for topics you’d like to hear about in future podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.