Dr. Kristi Stewart was a Fulbright Specialist at Universitas Negeri Medan from July – August 2024 where she conducted multimedia writing research and taught composition courses grounded in “glocal” theory. 

Fulbright Specialist Dr. Kristian D. Stewart, Ed.D, a teaching professor on the language, culture, and the arts at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and the language centre of Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED) in Medan, Indonesia, had successfully carried out a project on the establishment of the Centre for Academic Writing from July 30 to August 29, 2024. The collaboration and project were facilitated through the Fulbright Specialist program administered by the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF).

According to Dr. Isli Pane at UNIMED, the project’s objectives are to enhance the capacity of a predetermined group of lecturers in the establishment, funding, and administration of a permanent academic writing centre at UPT Bahasa Universitas Negeri Medan.

 “Dr. Stewart had meetings and workshops with the selected faculty members who are working on delivering academic writing services at the university. They are from seven different faculties and postgraduate schools,” Dr. Pane said.

Dr. Stewart also gave guidance and delivered information as to how they can deliver academic writing services, including topics on Introduction to Academic Writing Center, Organizing and Funding an Academic Writing Center, Hiring and Training Staff, Policies, Procedures, Partnerships, and Promotion, Evaluation and Reporting, and Challenges and Potential Solutions in the Digital Era.

“Various aspects of academic writing curricula were discussed, including course delivery approaches, centre for academic writing design experience, and other English language skills involvement in academic writing,” she added.

“Some emerging trends in the Establishment of the Centre for Academic Writing in the digital era, especially its challenges and potential solutions, were also discussed,” she continued.

From August 1 to 2, 2024, UPT Bahasa Universitas Negeri Medan also held the first national workshop of FILBA 2024 to further discuss the role of language centres in promoting language literacy.

Dr. Stewart successfully shared her expertise on Digital Literacy Projects to Teach English Academic Writing Skills with hundreds of participants, who were heads of language centres from all over Indonesia.

Dr. Stewart also had the opportunity to have a Talk Show with the students of the English Language Education study program.

“I hope the workshops will be helpful to the language centre for responding to the needs of the Centre for Academic Writing at UPT Bahasa Universitas Negeri Medan,” Dr. Stewart said.

“The program will provide a framework in which faculty members at Universitas Negeri Medan and the University of Michigan-Dearborn can collaborate on the lecturers projects. Relationships developed through such collaborations can lead to other collaborations in research or education”, she asserted.

Dr. Kristian D. Stewart, Ed.D. went on a cultural excursion to Huta Siallagan and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Lake Toba.