Don’t gloss over the glossary

Do you feel like you have fallen into the abyss when dealing with your glossary? Don’t let this problematic element overwhelm you. In his 2023 Conference session, Paul Krieger will describe the standardized process he created to improve his glossary. After doing some research and creating a clear set of guidelines for his editors to develop a master glossary for three related books, the end result was a much more consistent, complete, and user-friendly glossary.

Krieger is an award-winning teacher and the creator, author, and illustrator of Morton Publishing’s Visual Analogy Guide series. Due to the success of his first book on human anatomy in 2004, this unique book concept quickly evolved into a four-book series. He is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy & Physiology at Grand Rapids Community College and also works as a scientific illustrator.

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The prelude: Preparing to write a scholarly textbook

Many think about writing a scholarly textbook years before actually picking up the pen to do so. That prelude is like musicians tuning up before a performance. It is an investment of time that is as critical to finishing a book as to beginning it. For a writer, the prelude is a time to organize notes and references. To draft and redraft a table of contents. To organize notes. To connect with potential editors. To investigate potential audiences and find colleagues who would consider adapting it in their teaching. The prelude contributes to the ease with which you can write the book and lays the foundation that there is an audience for it.

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For an equitable textbook, universal design for learning is a must

Universal design for learning (UDL) is an evidence-based framework that improves and optimizes teaching and learning for all people. UDL recognizes the diversity of student learners and leverages how humans learn to improve and optimize teaching and learning.

In their 2023 TAA Conference session, “For an Equitable Textbook, Universal Design for Learning is a Must,” Laura Frost, Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean at Florida Gulf Coast University; and Shawn Nordell, Associate Director of Graduate Career Services at the University of Arizona, provide an overview of the UDL framework, some examples of how authors can work UDL principles into their textbook writing, and discuss among the participants how this framework can be further used to enhance the equitability and accessibility of their textbooks.

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Thinking about writing an open access textbook? Learn from this case study

Christopher Iverson, and Dan Ehrenfeld, both Assistant Professors of English and Humanities at Farmingdale State College (SUNY), will share their experience authoring the Open Educational Resource, Processes, which compiled FSC writers’ work, in their 2023 TAA Conference session, “The Creation of an OER to Establish and Maintain a Writers’ Community at a Regional Public College.”

They will share highlights, outline key decisions and processes (such as the selection of a Creative Commons License that best supports their mission to share their work broadly), and discuss ways that composing OERs can build community on and between campuses. Processes will be published by SUNY Geneseo Press, and the experience of creating it opened opportunities for community building remotely.

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Discover the 5 Cs of your optimal writing flow

Are you looking for a greater understanding of the mind-body connection in academic writing? Do you want to know how to get into the optimal writing flow and avoid writing blocks burnout while completing your writing project? In her 2023 TAA Conference session, “Discover the 5 Cs of Your Optimal Writing Flow,” Dr. Michelle Rivera-Clonch, Co-Founder of Writing in Depth: An Academic Writing Retreat, will pull from physiological psychology to help authors understand their brain/body reactions to experiencing adversity in the writing process. It will focus on identifying ways that invite us to work in an optimal writing flow by incorporating the 5Cs in your writing practice: Calm, Cool, Connected and Creative.

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