This list is not exhaustive. GSOLE wants to hear all voices. We invite questions and concerns to be addressed to Mary Lourdes Silva at vice-president@gsole.org 

Ideas that might guide proposals in these topics include (but are not limited to):

Beyond Engagement in Online Learning and Pedagogy

• • What tutoring practices help students feel emotionally supported and connected to a writing community, especially in asynchronous or text-based tutoring formats where relationship-building is harder to sustain?

  • What pedagogical practices help students develop agency and critical thinking in online literacy courses, beyond simply completing required tasks? 

  • What does it look like to center student well-being and care as a legitimate goal of online writing instruction, rather than a secondary concern to course outcomes? 

  • In what ways can faculty assist each other in creating a safe, supportive online environment, particularly for faculty who work predominantly in online spaces?

  • How might feelings of isolation affect students and/or faculty? What strategies can be used to reduce feelings of isolation in a rapidly evolving digital world? 

Online Literacy Community Design

• • What does a classroom community look like in online courses at this historical moment? What does it mean for us, and what does it mean to our students? 

  • How can instructors design online writing courses that cultivate emotional engagement (belonging, motivation, and connection to community) rather than relying solely on behavioral and cognitive markers like screen time, forum responses, or completed drafts? 

  • What does engagement and community look like online? And how can those expectations meet the varying needs of online learners?

  • What strategies can instructors teaching in online, hybrid, or digitally enhanced environments use to encourage engagement and community building?

Emerging Technologies & AI Literacy in Authentic Online Literacy Instruction

• • In what ways do emerging technologies (e.g., generative AI, automated grading tools) open or close doors to engagement and community-building in online literacy instruction?

  • What tools, resources, and pedagogical theories have emerged with the rise of online education?

  • What does AI literacy mean for online literacy educators and students, and how can programs build it intentionally into curriculum and faculty development rather than responding to it ad hoc?

  • How does student and instructor use of generative AI affect social presence — the sense of interacting with "real people" — in online literacy spaces?

Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accessible (IDEA) Communities

• • What can online writing programs do to directly address structural inequities (e.g., racism, discrimination, unequal access to technology) that limit engagement before it starts?

  • How do we provide robust, accessible educational experiences in an online capacity for students in rural, low-income, or marginalized communities?

  • What universal design and accessibility practices help online writing programs or faculty move from minimal compliance toward genuine inclusion of disabled students and faculty?

  • How can online literacy educators design for linguistic and cultural diversity, including multilingual writers, translingual practices, and international students, so that community-building doesn't default to a single linguistic or cultural norm?

The Future of Writing Centers & Writing Programs

• • How do we design online courses and centers to welcome writers and communicate learning expectations in these environments?

  • With the rise of fully online colleges and universities, how do fully online institutional spaces function as a location for student engagement, community building, and educational development?

  • What does mentoring look like for new and emerging faculty in online educational spaces? 

  • How can online writing centers move beyond tracking session counts and satisfaction surveys to better understand whether tutoring sessions foster a genuine sense of belonging and confidence in student writers?

Adjunct, Part-Time, and Contingent Community

• • How can adjunct, part-time, and contingent faculty be more involved in the community?

  • How can tutors, staff, and managers be included in building a community in pedagogical spaces?

  • What does institutional investment in adjunct, part-time, and contingent faculty look like?

(Re)Building Professional Communities

Questions about CCCC De-Chartering: 

• • • What needs did CCCC fill that have been lost by the de-chartering?

    • What does GSOLE envision for itself without the disciplinary and institutional structure CCCC provided?

    • What partnerships with other rhetoric, writing, literacy, or linguistics organizations could help fill the professional functions CCCC can no longer provide?

  • How can online literacy instruction as a field build a professional community in ways that are designed to welcome all OLI practitioners and scholars to the table?

  • How can institutions best prepare faculty members to teach online or hybrid courses?