IWCA – Summer Institute 2025
Date: June 16-20, 2025
Mode: Face-to-face. For more information about the schedule, see the bottom of this page.
Location: Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Puebla, México.
Organizers: Miriam Yvonn Márquez Barragán, Carolina Urizar Ocampo, Martín Sánchez Camargo.
For more information about the leading presenters, see the bottom of this page.
Registration: Visit iwcamembers.org and create a free account to register. Registrants from outside the U.S. or Canada should select “Not Applicable” for “State” on the registration form.
Email:
IWCA: iwcaofficer@gmail.com
Centro para el Aprendizaje de la Escritura Académica y Pensamiento Crítico UDLAP: centro.escrituraacademica@udlap.mx
Since 2019, the IWCA Summer Institute has provided a valuable forum for professionals, researchers, and educators working in both emerging and established university writing centers, as well as those engaged in initiatives that foster academic reading and writing within higher education.
Following the successful meeting held in Colombia, we aim to continue the dialogue between Writing Centers affiliated with the IWCA and those within the Latin American network. Our objective is to bridge the gap between the Global North and South by addressing challenges related to academic literacy in universities.
To this end, the 2025 Summer Institute will take place in Mexico, on the campus of Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), in the city of Cholula. The event will foster inclusive, balanced dialogue on literacy across Anglophone and Spanish-speaking educational contexts, considering continental and sociocultural coordinates. We believe this opportunity to share our diverse educational traditions will strengthen the global academic network initiated in Colombia and support efforts to address pending pedagogical issues in academic and scientific reading and writing in higher education.
The bilingual program (English and Spanish) includes lectures, workshops, debates, book presentations, and cultural activities. All components are designed to offer an overview of the diverse perspectives from which we approach academic reading and writing, while acknowledging the sociocultural, institutional, and pedagogical specificities of each context.
About Universidad de las Americas Puebla (UDLAP)
Founded in 1940 in Mexico City as Mexico City College, the university later adopted the name Universidad de las Américas in the early 1960s to reflect the spirit of fraternity between the U.S. and Latin America. Its prestigious faculty and research programs, such as the Oaxaca Archaeology Program, positioned it as a top-tier institution for students seeking bicultural education. See more.
Today, the UDLAP campus is located in historic Cholula, on the grounds of the Santa Catarina Mártir hacienda. The 80-hectare campus sits between the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes and is just minutes from Puebla, the state capital. Its central location, less than two hours from Mexico City, offers both national and international visitors logistical convenience. Puebla is a historic colonial city with a vibrant cultural scene, renowned for its tourism and gastronomy. It blends tradition with modernity, offering the best of both worlds.
Notably, UDLAP is accredited by the U.S. based Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC), thus complying with the highest standards of university level education. In Mexico, it ranks among the top private universities, recognized for academic excellence and international prestige. UDLAP maintains 250 agreements with institutions in 42 countries, offering numerous opportunities for academic exchange, dual-degree programs, and professional internships.
With support from UDLAP’s faculty, the Center for Academic Writing and Critical Thinking (CAEAPC)—one of Mexico’s pioneering writing centers—and the Language Learning Center (CAL) have developed a comprehensive program for the IWCA Summer Institute. The program focuses on writing centers as spaces for the development of academic literacies and the advancement of academic and scientific discourse skills. It will also explore how writing can foster academic integrity and examine the evolving intersections between writing, technology, and artificial intelligence.
About CAEAPC and CAL:
These are two of UDLAP’s three learning centers. Both are committed to enhancing writing skills in academic and professional contexts—CAEAPC in Spanish and CAL in English—through guidance-based and reflective writing practices. With a team of instructors, both centers offer writing consultations, workshops, reading clubs, and a variety of activities to promote reading and writing development.
About the 2025 Summer Institute:
The topics to be addressed during the 2025 Summer Institute are as follows:
- Writing Centers and University Academic Literacies
- Writing Centers and the Development of Academic and Scientific Discourse Skills
- Writing Centers and Academic Integrity
- Writing Centers and Artificial Intelligence
We have considered the following logistics for the 2025 Summer Institute:
- Duration: Four days of academic work on campus, plus one day of cultural activity.
- Workday schedule: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a lunch break from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Three keynote lectures.
- Four workshops focused on thematic areas.
- Two discussion panels.
- Two book presentations.
Registration fees (based on the country of residence):
Deadline for registration: June 5
- Participants from North America (United States and Canada), Europe, and the Middle East: $730 USD (includes tour).
- Participants from Asia and Oceania: $500 USD (includes tour).
- Participants from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa: $300 USD (includes tour).
- Participants from Mexico: $230 USD (without tour) or $300 USD (includes tour).
- Online attendees for keynotes: $100 USD.
- UDLAP faculty: fee waiver (tour not included).
The fee includes:
- Registration and certificate.
- Snacks and lunches during the four days of on-campus activities.
- Cultural excursion (transportation) to Cholula, Tonantzintla, and the city of Puebla on June 20.
The fee does NOT include:
- Airfare, lodging, breakfasts, dinners, or transportation within Mexico.
- Meals during the cultural excursion (reservations at renowned Puebla restaurants may be arranged; costs covered by attendees).
Accomodation:
Estimated costs (from the U.S.):
- Registration: $730 USD
- Airfare: $500-$1200
- Hotel in Puebla: $50-60 per night
- Applicants may also apply for a travel grant to help cover registration fees.
If you have any questions, please contact the IWCA.
IWCA: iwcaofficer@gmail.com
Centro para el Aprendizaje de la Escritura Académica y Pensamiento Crítico UDLAP: centro.escrituraacademica@udlap.mx
We look forward to welcoming you!
Program Overview:
Opening Session
IWCA conference
Workshops:
Writing Centers and University Academic Literacies
Dr. Ana Cortés Lagos (Chile/USA) – Stony Brook University
Writing Centers and the Development of Academic and Scientific Discourse Skills
Dr. Adriana Bolívar (Mexico) – Universidad Central de Venezuela/ Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro
Writing Centers and Academic Integrity
Dr. Valeria Benítez (Mexico) – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Writing Centers and Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Alberto Martínez Martinell (Mexico) – Universidad Veracruzana
Dr. Kristi Cole (USA) – North Carolina State University
Discussion Panel: Writing Centers in Mexico
- Dr. Abigail Villagrán Mora (Puebla) – Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla.
- Mtra. Carla Rivera Pastrana (México City) – Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa.
- Dr. María Leticia Temoltzin Espejel (Puebla) – Benemérita Univerisidad Autónoma de Puebla.
- Dr. Carolina Urizar Ocampo (Puebla) – Universidad de las Américas Puebla.
- Dr. Miriam Yvonn Márquez Barragán (Puebla) – Universidad de las Américas Puebla.
Book Presentations:
The Routledge Handbook of Multiliteracies for Spanish Language Teaching: multimodalidad e interdisciplinariedad(Routledge, 2024)
- Dr. Cristina Castro Azuara – Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala
- Español para Fines Específicos (EFE) / The Routledge Handbook of Spanish for Specific Purposes (Routledge, 2025)
- Dra. Lucía Natale (online) – Universidad de Buenos Aires
- Dr. Martín Sánchez Camargo – Universidad de las Américas Puebla
Closing Session:
Performance by UDLAP artistic group
Farewell Toast
International Writing Centers Association (c) 2026