Linda Adler-Kassner

I'm the Faculty Director of CITRAL. I am also Professor of Writing Studies and Associate Vice Chancellor of Teaching and Learning at UC Santa Barbara. I've been a writing teacher for more than 30 years, teaching undergraduate courses like first year writing (aka freshman composition) and writing and civic engagement and graduate courses on writing theory, practice, and assessment. Most recently, I've focused on working with faculty learners on studying their disciplines and creating more equitable, inclusive, and just teaching and learning. In all of these roles I work with faculty and students to study structures and practices associated with knowledge-making (like writing!), and to make those practices more accessible. I do all of this because I'm passionate about creating inclusive and equitable structures and activities for learners and teachers. 

My interests in knowledge-making, teaching, and learning are also reflected in my research. The primary audiences for this work are other faculty members in my discipline of writing studies/composition and rhetoric and academic administrators; some of my work also circulates among people interested in teaching and learning across disciplines. I'm author, co-author, or co-editor of 11 books and more than 55 articles and book chapters, including  Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies and (Re)Considering What We Know: Learning Thresholds in Writing, Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy. I regularly consult/conduct talks and workshops for faculty, administrators, and others around the country on issues related to writing, learning, and professional/faculty development.

At UCSB, I've been Director of the UC Santa Barbara Writing Program and co-Interim Co-Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education in the College of Letters and Science at UCSB. I'm also the past chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication; a member of the National Council of Teachers of English Executive Committee, and a Past President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators. In these roles I've worked with writing and literacy teachers/faculty pre-K through graduate school on research, policy, pedaogy, and initiatives to support literacy educators and learners around the country and the world. To read more about my professional work, feel free to view the CV attached to this profile.