As a scholar of writing program administration, my work advances equity in teaching, working, and learning conditions in writing programs. My scholarship provides WPAs and practitioners with heuristics and tools to dismantle harmful institutional structures, systems, and ideologies impacting marginalized students and faculty. My research is grounded in social justice, both in scope and in the mixed methods, qualitative, and ethnographic methodologies I employ.

My research interests center primarily on writing assessment and writing program administration. However, below you can see the range of areas I delve into through my publications and current research projects.

National Research Awards

Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) Graduate Research Award | May 2022

Honorable Mention: Institutional “standards” as intentional gatekeeping: An institutional ethnography examining the ecology of assessment in a developmental writing course

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Burke Reifman, J., Wittstock, S., Serviss, T., Melzer, D., Pearsall, B. (2025). Constructivist writing placement: Repositioning agency for more equitable placement. College Composition and Communication, 76(3), 423-451. https://doi.org/10.58680/ccc2025763423

Wittstock, S. (2022). Gatekeeping by design: The use of an exit exam as a “boss text” in a basic writing course. Journal of Basic Writing, 41(1-2), 40-75. https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/jbw/v41n1-2/wittstock.pdf

Wittstock, S., Sperber, L., Kirk, G., McCarty, K., de Sola-Smith, K., Wade, J., Simon, M., & Fink, L. (2022). Making what we know explicit: Perspectives from graduate writing consultants on supporting graduate writers. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, 19(2). https://www.praxisuwc.com/192-wittstock-et-al

Ching, K. & Wittstock, S. (2019). Teaching with digital peer response: Four cases of technology appropriation, resistance, and transformation. Research in the Teaching of English, 54(2), 161-182. https://doi.org/10.58680/rte201930618

Book Chapters

Wittstock, S. & Clinnin, K. (chapter accepted, book out for review). Designing a more inclusive teaching practicum. In K. Moreland, C. James, S. Youssef, & L. Nickoson (Eds.) Writing pedagogy education in practice. WAC Clearinghouse.

Hizer, M., Wittstock, S. & Wright, T. (chapter accepted, book out for review). Accessing the rhetoric and composition job market: Reshaping hiring practices through a universal design framework. In C. Lutkewitte & J. Kitchens (Eds.) Inclusive hiring and job market practices in rhetoric, composition, and writing studies. National Council of Teachers of English.

Book Reviews

Wittstock, S. (2021). Review of Speaking up, speaking out: Lived experiences of non-tenure-track faculty in writing studies, edited by Jessica Edwards, Meg McGuire, and Rachel Sanchez. Composition Studies, 49(3), 194-198. https://compositionstudiesjournal.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/wittstock_br.pdf

Publications Under Review

Wittstock, S., Lynch-Biniek, A. (under review). “Pile on more, right?”: Faculty perceptions of teaching labor in the context of generative AI. Composition Studies.

Publications In Progress

Fernandes, M., Messina, C. M., McIntyre, M., & Wittstock, S. (in progress). A manifesto on generative AI refusal. Kairos: Disputatio.

Wittstock, S., Burke Reifman, J., & Serviss, T. (in progress book project). Leveraging Data-Driven Programmatic Assessment for Institutional Change.

Ongoing Research Projects

Wittstock, S., Serviss, T., & Carter Ching, C. (IRB approved, research ongoing). Examining placement in dual and concurrent enrollment writing courses.

Burke Reifman, J. & Wittstock, S. (IRB approved, research ongoing). Understanding student perceptions of writing with AI with undergraduate researchers.

Faculty Development Resources

Saichaie, K., Wittstock, S., and Rossi, M. (2021). Just-in-Time Teaching Guide. UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness [CEE]. https://cee.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk5371/files/inline-files/2021JITTGuidev.3_1.pdf