University of South Florida English PhD student Kara Larson has won a 2021 CCCC Scholars for the Dream Travel Award. The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), a constituent organization within the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), presents the award to 10 recipients each year.
The awards selection committee considers originality of research, significance of pedagogical or theoretical contributions to the field, and potential for larger, subsequent projects.
“Kara’s research looks at anti-racist writing assessment, and it does important work of moving theory into practice by prioritizing student voices,” says Larson’s advisor, Department of English Chair Dr. Lisa Melonçon.
“As one of the first empirical studies that ask students their perceptions about contract grading in writing, Kara is setting the bar for methodologically rigorous and culturally sensitive writing research, while also providing evidence on how to successfully implement grading contracts,” Dr. Melonçon says. “This award recognizes her work while actively supporting historically under-represented groups in higher education. I am delighted to see her get this type of recognition.”
CCCC sponsors the Scholars for the Dream Awards to encourage scholarship by historically underrepresented groups. This includes Black, Latinx, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander scholars—persons whose presence and whose contributions are central to the full realization of our professional goals.
Larson will be announced as a recipient of the CCCC Scholars for the Dream Travel Award on Thursday, April 8, at a reception during the 2021 CCCC Virtual Annual Convention.