Associate Professors of English Travis Maynard and Li Li presented 鈥淭he AI-Infused Curriculum: A Scalable Model for Integrating Generative AI across Programs鈥� at the Association of American Colleges and Universities鈥� inaugural Conference on AI and Higher Education, held Oct. 28鈥�30 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Their presentation highlighted an approach developed by PWR faculty to connect emerging writing practices with the program鈥檚 commitments to rhetorical thinking, ethical inquiry and adaptability.

Rather than focusing on a single AI assignment, course or technology, the program has developed four interconnected initiatives:

• Curriculum mapping: Identifying how AI-related learning develops across courses, with attention to students鈥� functional, critical and rhetorical AI literacies.
• Course revisions: Updating course titles and descriptions to make emerging writing technologies and practices more visible to students.
• Microcredentialing: Creating the AI and Professional Writing Digital Badge, which connects coursework, professional development opportunities and reflective portfolios.
• Institutional partnerships: Developing a writing-focused track within 麻豆视频鈥檚 AI Scholars Program, extending AI literacy through interdisciplinary engagement, student leadership and community-based projects.

Together, these initiatives reflect an effort to integrate emerging technologies into existing disciplinary and institutional structures.

In the presentation, Li emphasized that students are already encountering AI in many aspects of their lives. She argued that educators have a responsibility to help students examine AI tools critically and prepare for workplaces increasingly shaped by AI.

Maynard added that PWR integrates AI intentionally across the curriculum while helping students develop the judgment to decide if, how, and when to use these tools, rather than encouraging routine use of particular technologies.

The initiatives also draw on ongoing research into how 麻豆视频 alumni use generative AI in their professional and personal writing, helping faculty connect curricular decisions with graduates鈥� changing communication practices.

The presentation prompted discussion among faculty and higher education administrators. Attendees asked practical questions about implementing AI microcredentials and conducting alumni research. Maynard and Li also shared curriculum-mapping and action-planning resources for participants to consider in their own programs and institutions.

Li said conversations with colleagues from across the country inspired her and reassured her that educators are taking meaningful steps to revise and update their teaching for the AI era.

The work reflects 麻豆视频鈥檚 broader commitment to advancing thoughtful, ethically informed AI education while preparing students to navigate changing professional environments.

The presentation draws on a forthcoming article, 鈥淭he AI-Infused Curriculum: Enhancing Professional Writing Programs for the Generative AI Age,鈥� by Maynard, Li, Paula Rosinski and Jessie L. Moore. Accepted for publication in “Writing Program Administration”, the article examines how PWR鈥檚 coordinated initiatives offer an adaptable model for integrating generative AI into academic programs while preserving disciplinary values and ethical responsibility.

By building on existing curricular strengths and university initiatives, PWR offers an example of how academic programs can respond to technological change while keeping educational values in view.

鈥淥ne time I took my parents, and they took a picture of me, and I said, 鈥業 will work here one day,鈥欌�� Achey recalled.

She was right.

On Sept. 24, Achey joined Professional Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) students and faculty via Zoom in Alamance 318 to discuss her career in international publishing and offer advice to students hoping to enter the industry.

After graduating from 麻豆视频, Achey struggled to find her first publishing job. Through 麻豆视频鈥檚 Bridges program, she spent a summer in New York City networking with alumni and industry professionals. A connection she made over coffee eventually led to a position at book distributor Baker & Taylor, where she managed sales in Asia. Another professional relationship helped her land a job at Simon & Schuster in 2017.

Today, Achey manages international customers and helps bring English-language books to readers around the world. Her work takes her to major industry events, including the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany and the London Book Fair.

鈥淲hen I was at 麻豆视频, I absolutely loved my study abroad experience, so I really wanted to couple my love for reading with travel,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what led me to international sales.鈥�

Achey also introduced students to the changing landscape of publishing. She described how BookTok and other social media communities can generate sudden surges in book sales, recalling one title that sold roughly 1,500 copies overnight after gaining attention on TikTok. She also discussed the industry’s cautious approach to artificial intelligence, particularly AI-generated writing and artwork, while acknowledging the value of AI literacy for emerging professionals.

Throughout the conversation, Achey emphasized that publishing offers careers well beyond writing and editing, including sales, marketing, publicity, production and design. She credited her PWR education with helping her develop communication skills that remain essential to her work, particularly adapting her tone and approach for different audiences.

For students interested in publishing, Achey recommended following industry newsletters such as *Shelf Awareness* and *Publishers Lunch*, pursuing internships and attending readings and events at local bookstores. She encouraged students to connect with professionals on LinkedIn, maintain relationships with alumni and recognize the value of transferable skills gained outside the publishing industry.

Her own career, she explained, demonstrates why networking matters: both of her major career opportunities emerged from relationships she had cultivated.

鈥淜eep immersed in the thing that you love,鈥� Achey told students. 鈥淲hatever鈥檚 drawing you to the publishing industry, try to keep a part of that.鈥�

She also urged students to take advantage of resources closer to home, including 麻豆视频’s libraries, book clubs, Writing Center and PWR events. Her own Writing Center experience helped her develop the collaborative communication and problem-solving skills she continues to use professionally.

Nearly 12 years after graduating, Achey said her enthusiasm for books remains unchanged.

鈥淚 still love going in bookstores and seeing our books,鈥� she said.

And that was a challenge. Because I entered college in 2003, at the beginning of the war in Iraq, when everyone and their grandmother was convinced that learning Arabic was the ticket to getting a job in government. At the school I went to, all students were preregistered for classes with the exception of first-year students and graduate students, who had to attend classes before they could register. All classes were required to leave three seats open for first years and graduate students. So, I showed up to the first day of Beginning I Arabic along with 70 other students, all hoping to get one of those three seats. The instructor announced that he would not allow anyone to register for those three seats until there were only three students left in the class who wanted them. And so I proceeded to wait the rest of them out. I came to every class and did all the work in the class, without any guarantee that I would get in officially or get credit for it until enough people gave up that I was offered the slot. So the first thing I learned in my college career was that I would have to fight for the Humanities and they were worth fighting for. I am still doing that work today.

But aside from Arabic, I really didn鈥檛 know what else I wanted to study. So I started off by studying everything. I took classes in history, and political science, and anthropology, and comparative literature. And calculus, and biology, and Religious Studies. And they were all great classes, but I found that I had a particular love of that place where religion, history, literature, and philosophy met and connected. Those classes lit a fire in me. Because they showed me that in places and periods and languages that were wholly different from my own people had grappled with the questions that provoked and haunted me, questions of deep existential meaning and ongoing political urgency 鈥� and that they had expressed their answers in language that was profoundly beautiful. When I studied those answers, I found myself connected to peoples, movements, and cultures larger myself. 听And as I went deeper and deeper into my studies, I found that they were changing me. Once I learned how to read deeply, I found that I could read anything, including the social and political institutions in which I was embedded. I learned to question everything, and to produce my own critical answers. I put myself to work imagining other, better worlds.

The period that I grew up in was really not perfect. I went to college 鈥� and then lived in the Middle East – during the Iraq War. A war of choice, when the President decided to invade a country that posed no threat to the United States, largely to secure access to vast oil resources. I then graduated from college into a massive financial disaster caused by the loosening of banking regulations so that very rich people could become even richer. So I can鈥檛 say that it was an easy time to be a young person 鈥� if there is ever an easy time to be a young person.

But I do think that it is much harder to be a young person today. I went through college at a time when few students had personal laptops, before the invention of the smart phone or the ipad or the rise of social media. The students I went to school with didn鈥檛 all like me 鈥� but they were all really present along with me in the spaces we shared. The political culture at the time seemed divisive, but it was nothing in comparison to the chaos and fury of the current age. It鈥檚 hard right now y鈥檃ll.

But one of the things that is making it even harder is that the institutions and entities who are invested in dividing us from each other, in fracturing our attention and undermining our interpersonal relationships 鈥� are also selling us a particular approach to knowledge. This approach is, 鈥渢he extractive attitude.鈥� It is based on the idea that the purpose of knowledge is to extract resources from the environment and money from the economy 鈥� which ultimately means from consumers. This attitude is not new. I know from my own field of African history that the European governments who colonized various territories sent scholars out in the wake of the armies, geographers and engineers to survey and map the land, and linguists and anthropologists to learn languages, and catalogue customs. The purpose of these colonial scholar-soldiers was to facilitate the pacification of the population and the extraction of natural resources. Knowledge has always been a form of power. And then, just as now, deep engagement in storytelling, religious worldviews, and philosophy was disregarded and rejected as impractical. Education, according to the extractive attitude, is a product whose value measured as a return on investment. This attitude invites us to use learning to maintain a position in cultural and class warfare.

The opposite of the extractive attitude is a humanistic attitude. A humanistic attitude values knowledge for its ability to bring meaning and joy into our lives and our communities. A humanistic attitude evaluates our present relative to both our past and our vision of the future. A humanistic attitude is an approach that finds richness and complexity in things that seem simple. And it does those things through a deep engagement with the ideas and the art that have been produced by humans through the ages.

When I went to college I had to fight for a seat in a language class against the forces of opportunism. And I want you to fight for humanism, too. And it is a fight sometimes. A fight to maintain vision and resolve in the face of a thousand messages that tell us that the humanistic attitude is 鈥渦seless.鈥� The makers and marketers of new technological products are trying to convince us to give up our capacity for deep engagement. To give up our ability to generate ideas, to read literature, to think about the past, to make and appreciate art and culture, and to communicate with each other. To convince us to give up on humanism they threaten us with catastrophe and apocalypse. They warn that their products will change society so deeply that it will be unrecognizable, or that they might destroy humanity entirely. But I have my own message. For anyone who is worried about understanding these forces, or who is struggling to make sense of the world right now – the Humanities can help.

Those of us in Religious Studies have studied apocalyptic predictions, we know the distance between what they promise and what they deliver. Those of us in History have studied revolutions and know how politics and new forms of media align. Those of us in World Languages and Cultures know that our understanding of the world is shaped by language and how to connect with people across cultural differences. Those of us in Philosophy know that the potential for meaningful change is rooted in examination and reflection. 听And those of us in English know (to paraphrase James Baldwin), that it is literature that teaches us that the things that torment us the most are the very things that connect us with all the people who are alive, or who have ever lived. The Humanities are a repository of our shared humanity and the heart of our capacity to be, not just human, but better humans. More than ever, humanity needs the Humanities. And right now, the Humanities needs you.

麻豆视频 alumna Margaret Achey 鈥�14, manager of international and client publisher sales at Simon & Schuster, will speak with students and faculty on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. in Alamance 318 as part of the Professional Writing and Rhetoric Alumni Speaker Series. Achey will join the event remotely via Zoom, while attendees will gather in person on campus.

Achey has worked in book publishing for more than 12 years. In her current role, she works with customers and publishers across global markets and represents Simon & Schuster at major industry events including the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs. Before joining Simon & Schuster, she served as Sales Manager for Asia, Canada and the Middle East at book distributor Baker & Taylor.

While at 麻豆视频, Achey studied Professional Writing and Rhetoric and worked in the Writing Center. Her talk will give students an inside look at careers in publishing, including her path into the industry, her current work and advice for students interested in entering the field.

The event is free and open to the 麻豆视频 community.听For questions about the event, contact Travis Maynard, associate professor of English and director of Professional Writing and Rhetoric, at tmaynard3@elon.edu

PWR Alumni Speaker Series: Margaret Achey 鈥�14
Thursday, Sept. 24 | 5:30 p.m.
Alamance 318
Speaker joining via Zoom

麻豆视频 students鈥� presentations spanned both the ages and the globe, with presentations ranging in focus from ancient Maya society to generative AI鈥檚 role in online public relations discourse, and spanning both the experiences of Syrian refugees and the indigenous politics of Peru.

The setting in Richmond offered a unique opportunity for mentor/mentee pair Amanda Kleintop, assistant professor of history, and Athena Vizuete ’26, a history major from Carrboro, North Carolina, who study Civil War history. In addition to presenting, they built in time to tour local historical sites that inform their research projects.

鈥淚t was amazing to see the quality of 麻豆视频鈥檚 undergraduate research in our students鈥� presentations,” said Kleintop. “I was very proud of Athena, who presented on her research on Reconstruction in North Carolina that was threeyears in the making! Plus, there nothing like visiting Richmond as a Civil War and Reconstruction scholar!”

“NCUR is a wonderful opportunity,” Vizuete said. “I am so happy I got to present my research on a national scale and attend so many fascinating presentations by my fellow students.”

Senior Professional Writing and Rhetoric major Caden Halberg is mentored by Travis Maynard and presented his work entitled, 鈥淭he Whey Forward: Successfully Advocating for the Galactosemia Community.鈥�

鈥淧resenting at NCUR allowed me to raise awareness about rare disease advocacy while connecting with students across disciplines, many of whom had never encountered this topic befor,” said Halberg.

Several students presented their work from the School of Communications. Senior strategic communications and public policy major Teresa Cao is mentored by Shanetta Pendleton, and presented her project entitled, 鈥淪orry, Not Sorry: Exploring Communication Patterns and Perceived Authenticity of Influencer Apologies on Social Media.鈥�

“NCUR was great because I loved being able to see the range of students and how the chose to pursue their interests,” said Cao. “It reinforced to me how there鈥檚 always something to learn or dig deeper into, and in my case, that was influencer apology videos. Pop culture is often a mirror to what’s happening in society on a broader scale, so I loved being able to share my insights on something that’s seemingly very superficial. It was also really encouraging to be around students from other disciplines since I got to hear their perspectives on my research, what they admired, and advice on how they’d do things differently.”

Students were accompanied by faculty members Eric Hall, Justin Clar, CJ Fleming, Jen Hamel, Amanda Kleintop and Judy Folmar. Folmar presented two mentor-led sessions accompanied by her research students in which they shared their research process with other student-mentor pairs.

NCUR was first held at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 1987 and 麻豆视频 students have been attending the conference since 1993. 麻豆视频 typically has more than 40 students present at NCUR each year. Next year鈥檚 conference will be held April 12-14, 2027 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

With the skills of grant writing, students are not only able to make change in their community but also take those skills into the next steps of their lives when they leave 麻豆视频. The course guides students through the process of researching potential funders all the way through crafting persuasive proposals and reviewing grant applications for nonprofit programs.

Li Li, associate professor of English, teaches the Writing Grants course not only to give students the skill of writing grants but also the chance to get out in the community and make a difference.听Grant writing, Li emphasizes, is more than a technical skill, it is a civic tool.

鈥淪tudents grow to understand that writing grant proposals is not just writing, but a civic act that can support local organizations and strengthen communities,” Li said.

As a community engagement (CE) course, Writing Grants situates learning within real-world contexts. Students collaborate directly with community partners in Alamance County, engaging in authentic problem-solving that requires attentive listening, asking thoughtful questions, and refining project goals together.

鈥淪tudents engage directly with clients to co-develop grant proposals,鈥� Li said. 鈥淭his collaborative process fosters accountability and professionalism and teaches students how to accurately and ethically represent community voices.鈥�

The impact of that collaboration is tangible. In Fall 2025, students partnered with Alamance Arts to research, draft and submit a proposal to Impact Alamance, a local organization that supports nonprofits working to build a healthier, stronger and smarter community. The organization was eventually awarded a $6,000 grant.

鈥淲hen proposals are submitted 鈥� and especially when they are successfully funded 鈥� students can see how their efforts translate into measurable benefits for the community,” said Li.

The partnership didn鈥檛 end with the semester. Several students took the initiative to serve as liaisons between Alamance Arts and 麻豆视频 student organizations, establishing long-term volunteer opportunities and strengthening the relationship between the university and the local community.

For students considering the course, the benefits extend far beyond the classroom.

鈥淕rant writing is an essential professional skill across a wide range of fields,鈥� she noted. 鈥淭hrough collaboration with community partners, students see how writing can create tangible impact in the community.鈥�

For the instructor, the most rewarding moments come when students see the real-world power of their work.

“Seeing their pride, excitement and increased confidence after hearing the news of a funded proposal is incredibly gratifying,鈥� she shared. 鈥淲atching students shift from merely completing an assignment to contributing to a community partner is deeply fulfilling.鈥�

Myers is a freelance health writer and content strategist. While at 麻豆视频, she studied professional writing and rhetoric, worked in the writing center, and conducted a rheotrical analysis of sexual violence prevention communication on campus. Since graduating, her writing has been published in outlets like Forbes,听AARP and Healthline. She also consults for leading healthcare startups, helping them craft content strategies that get their brands featured in Google searches, on social media, and in AI-powered search. While most of her clients are US-based companies, she currently lives in London and spent three years traveling to over 20 countries as a digital nomad.

Myers will share strategies for freelancing, how she built her business while exploring the globe, and how professional writing & rhetoric prepared her for what she’s doing now.

The event is co-sponsored by the professional writing & rhetoric major, the professional writing studies interdisciplinary minor, the AI and professional writing Badge, and the Center for Writing Excellence (麻豆视频 Alumni Writers Grant).

鈥淚 basically applied to every single publishing house I knew of, and even more,鈥� she said.听

It was a job opening on LinkedIn that led to her digital production internship with Abrams Books in New York City. Founded in 1949, Abrams says it was the first company in the U.S. to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books.听听

鈥淚 always knew that I wanted to do something in the English realm,鈥� said Sandak, who is a professional writing and rhetoric major. 鈥淚 was always good at English in school, and so around high school, I figured out that I wanted to be an editor of books.鈥�听

As the digital production intern for Abrams, Sandak primarily works with e-books, checking them for errors as the company converts physical titles to electronic. Sandak also works on title management, updating information about the books behind the scenes. When reviewing books, Sandak gets a list of common mistakes made by the conversion company and focuses on looking out for those issues 鈥� something she says has taken time to master.听

鈥淚t’s a little difficult because you worry that you missed something,鈥� she said.听

Editing the e-books has also given Sandak some experience in coding, where she can go into an online application and fix the code of the book to correct the issue on all platforms.听

Last summer, Sandak 鈥� who is from Westfield, New Jersey 鈥� completed an internship with a social media influencer, which gave her experience and eventually helped get the internship with Abrams.听听

鈥淚t was a nerve-racking applying because I didn’t have any experience in the publishing and editing realm because everybody wants you to have experience, but you don’t have experience until they take that chance on you,鈥� she said.听

She also learned to start looking for internships early, months before summer, along with getting advice from a family member on cover letters and resumes. 麻豆视频鈥檚 Student Professional Development Center also offers a host of resources for students looking for jobs or internships.听

Sandak says her work in the 麻豆视频 Writing Center and the professional writing and rhetoric courses have been instrumental in her internship. With a curriculum that is process-oriented rather than product-oriented, professional writing and rhetoric courses prepare students to be more critically reflective communicators in their daily lives and, primarily, workplace contexts.听

鈥淚’ve taken publishing and editing classes, which have been great because I’ve learned a lot of terminology about the publishing universe,鈥� said Sandak. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned a bunch about the motivations for why people write and the different ways that people write to elicit an emotion from somebody, and I think that that information is helpful because when you want to understand something, you want to understand the bare bones version of it. It鈥檚 taking writing back to the very beginning.鈥�听

The relationships Sandak has developed with faculty have made a difference as well, including Travis Maynard, assistant professor of English.听

鈥淗e does a really good job of creating a nice classroom community,鈥� said Sandak. 鈥淚 have always enjoyed the way that he teaches. He has a very open classroom.鈥�听

The internship has been a pivotal opportunity for Sandak, who feels, going into her final year at 麻豆视频, she is becoming more and more prepared for post-graduate life.听听

鈥淚 have had the chance to sit in on all of the meetings where the editors pitch the books to the publisher, and I鈥檝e met with people from the design team and people from the law team,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s cool because not only am I doing the work that I’m meant to be doing, but I also get to see every facet of book publishing.鈥�

A recent survey of 麻豆视频 alumni conducted by PWR faculty found that 65% use AI to enhance their personal and professional writing. These data highlight a growing trend: AI is increasingly becoming a common tool in workplace writing across a wide range of industries. In response, the new Bbadge aims to position students at the forefront of these changes, equipping them with the skills needed to work effectively with emerging AI tools.

The AI Badge builds on PWR鈥檚 foundation in writing technologies and multimodal composition, offering students hands-on experience with AI throughout the entire writing process鈥攆rom brainstorming, drafting and revising text as well as designing visual content. Students will also explore the ethical implications of AI and develop the critical literacy needed to assess the strengths, limitations, and potential biases of different tools. Grounded in the traditional writing strategies already taught in the PWR curriculum, this new badge helps students apply those skills in real-world, tech-driven contexts鈥攑reparing them to meet the evolving demands of today鈥檚 professional environment.

By earning the AI and Professional Writing Badge, students will develop essential AI literacy that makes them more competitive in today鈥檚 job market. With AI Literacy becoming a in the workplace, this badge helps students stand out by ensuring听they鈥檙e not only proficient in AI-assisted writing but also able to make informed, responsible decisions about when and how to use these technologies.

The AI Badge is open to all students, regardless of major or discipline. Because AI is relevant across fields鈥攆rom business and communications to technology鈥攖his badge is especially valuable for students looking to strengthen their digital writing skills. To earn the badge, students must take two PWR courses, attend a PWR guest speaker event and participate in the annual PWR portfolio workshop offered each Spring. Finally, students will create a digital portfolio听showcasing how they鈥檝e used AI to enhance their writing and reflecting on their growth as writers and prompters throughout the process.

As AI continues to shape the professional world, the PWR program aims to ensure that students are prepared with the necessary skills to navigate the digital writing landscape in the most ethical and productive way possible. More information about the badge can be found on the registrar’s Digital Badging page or the university’s website.

This article examines how first-year composition students navigate digital attention ecosystems while writing. The findings are based on a qualitative focus group study in which undergraduate students in 麻豆视频鈥檚 first-year writing course (ENG 1100) participated in writing and reflection activities.

The article argues that students are immersed in a 鈥渉orizontal attention ecosystem,鈥� in which all online tasks, communications and media feel equally worthy of their attention. Although students attempt to manage their physical-digital writing environments strategically, the intrusive nature of current technology hinders their ability to focus, especially on academic writing assignments. When completing academic assignments, students report relying on self-restrictive measures and approaching writing as a solitary act, contrasting with writing studies鈥� understanding of writing as a social act. This article suggests pedagogical approaches that privilege embodied writing strategies and encourage writing-oriented social interactions between students.

The full-text of the article is available .