Loretta Long

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Bio

Loretta Long grew up on Guam, in Navajo/Hopi communities near Tuba City, Arizona, and in a logging town in northern Oregon. She raised her daughter in Portland, Oregon, and in a small town in Washington on the beautiful Columbia River. Loretta's family encouraged her to follow them to Texas in 2012.

In her composition courses, Loretta is most interested in how writing helps us learn, synthesize, and integrate research differently, and often with more depth, than other communication methods because we return to our pages to grow our thinking. With this goal in mind, she enjoys helping students research opportunities and ethical issues in their career paths. Loretta also uses positive journaling prompts to increase wellbeing, teach students the variations in their writing voices, and ensure collaboration in our learning community. Students sometimes choose to then research and write about topics related to wellbeing for one of their research projects. She is currently working on assignments to help students investigate the representation of higher education in popular culture.

Student-centered learning activities and assignments create the foundation of Loretta's courses. With several formative assignments, students gain experience with a multi-layered writing process, skills that will help students complete projects in their other courses and their careers. She is also exploring the best ways to help students continue to grow essential critical-thinking skills and protect their human voices, while exploring uses of Generative AI.

Loretta has been teaching composition classes since 2010 and at UTSA since 2016. As part of her professional development training, Loretta is an Association of College and University Educators Fellow, an organization from which she received a certificate in Effective College Teaching (online) after a year-long training. She is now working on the face-to-face teaching path, as well. Loretta also received a certificate in Strategies for Inclusive Teaching and Integrated Reading and Writing. Additionally, she completed an Academic Innovation training.

In her personal life, Loretta loves to write, cook, read, take walks, watch movies, and spend time with her family.

For faculty syllabi and current course schedules, please visit Simple Syllabus.