By Enye Xu
Writing Program professor Victoria Houser, who came to UC Santa Barbara nearly two years ago, creates an inclusive learning environment that engages students of diverse backgrounds. Drawing upon her experiences at Washington State University, Methodist University in North Carolina, and Suzhou University in China, she constantly adjusts her teaching strategies, aiming for better cultural sensitivity.
Victoria Houser, an Assistant Teaching Professor in UC Santa Barbara’s Writing Program.
Houser, who teaches academic writing and other composition courses, replaces traditional lectures with class discussions and encourages students to set clear goals for their writing. A key example of her student-centered teaching approach is one-on-one Q&A sessions that she conducts with students to help them refine their work at each stage of the writing process. It gives students a quiet environment to express their ideas so that they can stay focused on personal objectives, and build confidence.
In a recent interview, Houser spoke about adapting to UCSB’s fast-paced quarter system, and developing strategies to support multilingual students.
Q: How has your teaching style evolved over the years, particularly after your transition to UCSB?
A: The transition to UCSB is probably most highlighted by the switch to the quarter system, and I've had to really re-evaluate how much work I was giving to students in a 10-week time period instead of 15. Over the years, my teaching has shifted toward student-directed learning. I started teaching college students at a young age of 23, so I grew and evolved alongside them. During these years, I have adopted active learning methods, like in-class discussions and activities, to make lessons more engaging. Recently, I also introduced community guidelines in classes. At the beginning of each term, students work together to create practices that help foster a supportive learning environment, encouraging everyone to take responsibility for their behavior and participation.
Q: Have you incorporated new teaching techniques in recent years?
A: Absolutely. One of the most impactful techniques I’ve introduced is the development of community guidelines. In upper-division courses, I now dedicate time for students to ask specific questions about their projects. This might involve one-on-one meetings or structured in-class Q&A sessions. It creates a space where students are involved in the process of their own writing from the beginning to end. Another technique I've recently incorporated is goal-setting. I think that's also part of helping students get into the process of writing for themselves, where they're developing their own kind of perspective on it, their own approach, that will serve them better in the long term.
Q: Did working at Suzhou University in China help you adapt your teaching strategies to meet the needs of diverse student groups?
A: My teaching experience at Suzhou University was very different. I had to teach a larger class consisting of 100 students instead of 25. Over that time, I mainly focused on helping students feel less anxious about perfection in writing. A lot of the things there that I developed for multilingual students were centered around student voice and development. These methods made academic writing feel less intimidating and gave students more confidence to express their thoughts. Conquering cultural pressures, such as the intense focus on grades and perfectionism, was also important. I hope my work helped them see writing as a process to explore and improve rather than just a finished product.
Q: Do cultural factors influence how students engage with writing?
A: Cultural differences play a significant role in how students approach writing. In China, there is a deep-rooted focus on perfection and academic success, with many students striving for A-plus grades. This pressure often affects their confidence and makes writing feel overwhelming. I often had conversations with my students about the idea that writing is meant to be a messy process, not something that needs to be perfect. The intense pressure from family’s expectations creates a high-stakes environment where students feel they must achieve top marks. You have to be willing to let your writing be bad in order to make it good, so that’s a tricky attitude with writing.
“You have to be willing to let your writing be bad in order to make it good.”
When not teaching, UCSB Writing Program professor Victoria Houser can be found out on the trail, running or hiking.
Q: What has been one of the most challenging teaching environments you’ve worked in?
A: Probably teaching in Suzhou from 2017 to 2018. I didn't have a teaching assistant, so every week I was getting hundreds of papers that I had to read and respond to. It was very intense for six weeks, so it was a challenge to always make sure that every student's needs were being met. To adapt to that, I reduced the number and complexity of assignments, allowing me to focus on providing targeted feedback.
Q: How do you adjust your teaching methods for different learning environments, such as in-person versus online teaching?
A: One of the biggest changes I made during and after the pandemic was increasing flexibility for students. I created options for students to make up work if they missed class due to illness or emergencies. Since online learning made everyone more familiar with platforms like Zoom and Canvas, I adapted my teaching materials to be more structured and accessible. At my previous institution, classes remained in person, and students frequently had to miss class due to COVID. To ensure they didn’t fall behind, I made sure all lessons, slides, and assignments were clear and easy to follow online. While this didn’t fully replace in-person engagement, it allowed students to stay on track and participate even if they couldn’t attend class.
Enye Xu is a third-year UCSB student majoring in data science. He wrote this piece for his Digital Journalism course.