The 4th Annual Cavalier Conference on Writing and Literature was held on April 20, 2018 at the JCCC Regnier Center. This year’s theme was Researching: Teach, Do, and Share. The conference attracted high school and college instructors from around the Kansas City metropolitan area and throughout Kansas. A total of 106 people registered. The keynote speaker for the event was Doug Hesse, Professor English and Executive Director of the Writing Program at The University of Denver. Hesse is also Past President of the National Council of Teachers of English and a former Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC).
The conference offered several sessions on the subject of research and attracted presenters from Lawrence High School, Rockhurst University, Washburn University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Metropolitan Community College-Longview, Fort Hays State University, Emporia State University, Pittsburg State University, and Kansas State University.
Several presenters were also from Johnson County Community College:
- Jennifer Forth: “Discipline-Specific Portfolios to Improve Student Writing”
- Janice Hodgkin and Maureen Fitzpatrick: “Storytelling as Research: Research as Storytelling”
- Nathan Jones: “Encouraging a Genuine Culture of Assessment through Action Research”
- Ted Rollins: “Researching and Implementing ‘Teaching for Transfer’ Pedagogy: How Can We Help Students Apply Their Writing Knowledge/Practice Across Contexts?”
- Jessica Tipton and Elaine Pelletier: “Librarians as Partners in the Research Process, From Assignment Creation to Completion”
- Monica Hogan: “How I Learned to Stop County and Love Assessment”
- Andrea Broomfield: “If Our Own Research is Crucial, How Do We Find Time to Fit It In? Strategies for Invigorating Your Scholarly Life Beyond and Within the Classroom”
In addition to the keynote lecture by Doug Hesse, the luncheon also featured student awards for Hare & Bell submissions.
The Cavalier Conference committee is comprised of the following JCCC professors of English: Maureen Fitzpatrick, Beth Gulley, Nathan Jones, Jim McWard, Ted Rollins, Marilyn Senter, and Matthew Schmeer.