SoTL Writing Retreat

MONDAY

(Re)Defining Writing and Strategies for Finding Flow

9:30-10:30 AM, in person

This 1-hour, in-person workshop with Sharon Zumbrunn intertwines a discussion of the research underlying the ways academic writers often sabotage their success with practical strategies designed to help participants write more with less pain.

Sharon Zumbrunn is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Motivation in Context Research Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition to her book, Why Aren't You Writing: Research, Real Talk, Strategies, & Shenanigans, she has published several research articles on the writing context, writing self-efficacy, writing attitudes, perceptions of feedback, and writing strategies. Importantly, she self-identifies as a struggling writer... depending on the day.

TUESDAY

Data Analysis Basics with SPSS

9:30-10:00 AM, in person

You can only do so much statistical analysis with Excel or a calculator. When it’s time to step up to more sophisticated approaches, you need specialized software like SPSS. In this session, UVA Library's Senior Research Data Scientist Clay Ford will get you up and running with SPSS, from downloading and installing to visualizing and analyzing data. We’ll show you how to import data from Excel, format and code your variables, calculate summary statistics, visualize your data, run some basic statistical tests, and more.

Clay Ford provides assistance with data wrangling and data manipulation, experimental design, selection and implementation of statistical methods, and data visualization. Since coming to UVA in 2013, Clay has led dozens of workshops on statistical software and methods, developed and taught a Data Wrangling with R short course, and co-founded the UVA R Users group.

THURSDAY

Search Smarter, Not Harder

9:30-10:00 AM, in person

Join UVA’s Education Librarian Ashley Hosbach for an in-person session on tackling your literature review. We’ll cover keyword search strategies, the top databases for SoTL research, and tips to accelerate your search process.

Ashley Hosbach is the education and social science research librarian and serves as the liaison for the School of Education and Human Development. Her design background unites UX and UI for developing new methods of online library support. Hosbach's current research focuses on cultural imperialism manifested in library architecture and its implication on library users and marginalized communities.