Welcome to our new Writing Specialist, Layli Miron 

We are so excited to welcome Layli Miron, our new Lead Instructional Consultant who specializes in integrating writing into teaching. Layli will consult with instructors on using writing to support students’ learning. For a full list of the services she can provide, check out the “Consultations” section of our Campus Writing Program page.

Please tell us more about your academic background.

I first got interested in the teaching of writing as an undergraduate working for my college’s writing center. This job inspired me to delve into the field of rhetoric and composition. While studying toward the PhD at Penn State, I taught writing and helped run various writing programs. My research has focused on discourses of migration and religion, especially the global connections they reflect and enable.

Transnational movement has also shaped my own life. My ancestors’ migrations led to me being born in Wisconsin. I went on to intern at a Chilean university and later worked at the Bahá’í World Center. In Santiago, it took immense effort to use Spanish to communicate, despite years of study. In Haifa, I met my future husband, Sergey, who is from Moldova and used his native language to help us navigate the city. I have now accompanied him through nearly a decade of adapting to U.S. culture. Such experiences heighten my admiration for the resourcefulness and linguistic repertoires of international students and faculty.

What did you enjoy about your work at Auburn University?

As Associate Director of University Writing, I enjoyed teaching in the experiential setting of the writing center, where I trained and developed peer writing consultants. My desire to make writing support accessible to all students motivated me to spearhead two large projects. First, I added asynchronous tutoring to our center’s services, developing a process to ensure that students could get insightful written feedback from any consultant. Second, I created a module, “Tutoring and Teaching Multilingual Writers,” that helps educators make U.S. academic writing conventions transparent. I learned so much from the University Writing administrators and student workers—especially from the director, Christopher Basgier, who earned his PhD here at IU!

What do you look forward to in your new role at CITL?

I am excited to take on a faculty development role. While it builds on my years of work for writing programs, directly supporting instructors is a new avenue for me. IU has a world-class faculty, and I look forward to collaborating with them to incorporate writing into classes of all types to deepen students’ learning and thinking. With generative AI shaking up the writing process, along with many other upheavals on our planet, it’s an auspicious time to reflect on the ways we teach ethical and effective communication, particularly writing, in higher ed. No surprise that as an employee of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, I love learning as much as teaching—and I know IU’s faculty and my CITL teammates will expand my horizons.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Spending time with Sergey and our next-door neighbors (sister, brother-in-law, and nephew) tops the list. I also love writing as a way to understand the world and bring joy to others; past projects have included Katayoon’s Kitchen, where I cooked and reflected on recipes my mom learned from her Iranian grandmother. Another frequent writing topic is my efforts to create wildlife habitat by gardening with native plants. In Alabama, Sergey and I designed and built a water garden that was home to bronze frogs and many other fascinating plants and animals. I’m looking forward to gradually de-lawning our new yard to make a refuge for pollinators.

How can people reach you if they would like to meet?

The best way to reach me is by emailing lamiro@iu.edu—or contact me through Teams if you prefer. I look forward to connecting with colleagues across IU!

 

Layli, welcome to our team. We’re excited to work with you to enhance writing practices that will help our students succeed in their academic journey at IUB.