Hi all!
We’re excited to announce that the application portal for the 2026 MLA Institutes in Reading & Writing Pedagogy at Access-Oriented Institutions (AOIs) is now open! We will be holding our free Salt Lake version of the institute again this year, and there are also institutes being held in California, Louisiana, Michigan, and online through colleagues in Wisconsin.
Salt Lake MLA Institute
Remote Option: Online Synchronous, 1–4 and 8–12 June 2026 (mornings only, on Zoom)
Residential Option: Salt Lake Community College South City Campus and University of Utah, 8–12 June 2026 (all day, in person)
Review the Utah institute flyer for additional information.
Audience
This institute is for graduate students and early career faculty who are interested in learning more about teaching reading and writing at community colleges and other two- and four-year institutions that prioritize access over selectivity in admissions. We also welcome applications from mid-career colleagues interested deepening their engagement with scholarship and professional communities in two-year college literacy studies.
Attendance Options
We have remote and in-person attendance options, with coffee, lunch, and snacks provided daily for in-person attendees and two free (optional) dinners. Participants who travel to Salt Lake for the institute have the option of staying in University of Utah residence halls for free.
Topics & Activities
The institute involves intensive readings and discussions focusing on theory and practice of teaching literacies at AOIs, with several guest speaker panels and a workshop on alternative assessment practices at two-year colleges and Hispanic-Serving Institutions facilitated by Dr. Lizbett Tinoco. Discussions of how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is impacting literacy instruction at AOIs will be woven through each day of the institute. Participants will have the opportunity to develop teaching materials and begin a pedagogical inquiry project that they present at a public symposium on the final day of the institute.
Free Extended Summer Course
Participants who complete the MLA institute have the option of continuing to develop their pedagogical inquiry project throughout June and July for 3 tuition-free graduate credits (WRTG 6770/7770: Teaching Reading & Writing at AOIs). This course is required for the University of Utah’s new graduate degree emphasis/certificate options in Teaching Reading and Writing at AOIs, which we anticipate launching this fall.
Please share with anyone in your networks who you think might be interested!
You can learn more about all of the institutes and find application information here: https://www.mla.org/Events/MLA-Institutes-on-Reading-and-Writing-Pedagogy
The 2026 Salt Lake MLA Institute is sponsored by the Modern Language Association, Salt Lake Community College’s Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies; and the University of Utah’s Department of Writing & Rhetoric Studies; Department of English; Tanner Humanities Center; and College of Humanities.