Best Practices for Implementing Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in Support of Student Learning and

Achievement

Dr. Linda Best Kean University, Union NJ

A Presentation for Innovative Educators

Comments on the Process for Completing It – Self-Study Questions at Intervals during the Presentation

Conceptual Framework• What is WAC?– A pedagogical movement that began in the 1980s.– The intentional effort to weave writing assignments into courses – writing experiences should occur across the academic community and throughout a student’s undergraduate education.– A value for writing as a method of learning.

• What is an institutional rationale for implementing WAC; how do students benefit from WAC programs?– “[F]requent informal writing opportunities along

with sequenced formal writing assignments play an indispensable role in developing critical thinking skills, learning discipline-specific content, and building competence in the modes of inquiry and communication specific to each discipline and profession.” (from Georgia State University WAC)

Writing Across the Curriculum

Writing is the responsibility of the entire academic community. It promotes learning and should be continuous throughout the academic years. Only by practicing the conventions of an academic discipline will students begin to communicate effectively within that discipline

Writing to Learn

Pedagogical approach; values writing as a method of learning that aids comprehension/retention of information and helps students work through concepts and apply what they learn. Increases comfort with writing and supports skills development. Assignments are short and informal and can be performed either in or out of class. Examples include writing and reading journals, summaries, response papers, learning logs, problem analysis, and more.

Writing in the Discipline

Recognizes the unique language conventions, format, and structure of writing in each discipline and that the style, organization, and format acceptable in one discipline may not appropriate in another. Students should use these conventions to participate successfully in the academic discourse of their community. Common assignments —reports, literature reviews, project proposals, and lab reports—can be combined with WTL activities to help students think through key concepts and ideas, in their disciplines.

WAC Testimonials

• From the National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges (2003): an “impressive positive correlation exists between the frequency of informative writing assessments and academic achievement in every subject area.” As a result, the Commission endorses writing across the curriculum: “Writing is not simply a way for students to demonstrate what they know. It is a way to help them understand what they know. At its best, writing is learning.”

• John Mayher, et. al., WAC Clearinghouse: “Language is the most powerful learning tool we have. All students have a right to discover—or, perhaps, rediscover—the joys of learning and we should all recognize that writing…is one of the best means of helping them to do so.”• James Britton, WAC Clearinghouse: “They [teachers] use it [writing] to find out what students already know, rather than as a way of encouraging them to find out. The process of making the material their own—the process of writing—is demonstrably a process of learning.”

What Students Say about WAC

• Feedback about writing is consistent from course to course and less idiosyncratic to instructors in a WAC environment.

• Writing in one course supports writing and study in the course as well as other courses.

• Expectations are clear.• Writing helps students understand and

organize content.

• The numerous opportunities – the requirement – to write extensively over time builds confidence.

• WAC prepares students for work in their area Over time, students have a sense of their improvement as writers.

• WAC engages students in course content, giving them a role in the classroom.

Myths and Misconceptions

• Writing is a general skill that should be taught independent of academic content.

• Writing instruction transfers easily to other writing situations.

• Only faculty trained in writing instruction can teach WAC courses.

• For the most part, WAC centers around the teaching of grammar.

Exploring a Major WAC Resource

An Institution Adopts Core WAC Principles

• Writing is the responsibility of the entire academic community.

• Writing must be integrated across departmental boundaries.

• Writing experiences must be continuous throughout students’ undergraduate education.

• Writing promotes learning.• Only by practicing the conventions of an academic

discipline will students begin to communicate effectively within that discipline.

An Institution Develops a WAC Mission Statement

Sample: Southern CT State--“to create a curricular structure and educational environment in which writing can be encountered as a tool of discovery across the curriculum for both faculty and students who participate in writing-intensive courses. By providing resources such as workshops for faculty on using effective writing techniques and offering tutoring and writing workshops for students, the program strives to increase the successful participation of everyone involved in writing-intensive courses.”

For additional examples, go to http://wac.colostate.edu/programs/.

An Institution Develops, Implements, and Enforces WAC Policy

• A representative governing body at the institution oversees program policy, to include– Number/type/level of writing-intensive courses

required;– Percentage of writing in required writing-intensive

courses;– Expectations for student writing in writing-

intensive courses;– Guidelines for grading/appropriate rubrics;

– Protocols and interventions for students who are passing the content of a given course but not its writing components;

– Information about the variety of writing activities and writing types acceptable for meeting WAC requirements;

– Procedures for enabling transfer students to meet WAC requirements;

– Approved and uniform template for WAC courses;– Mechanism/Process for approving WAC courses;

– Writing assessment intervals/contexts;– The role GE plays in WAC requirements;– Professional development requirements and

programs that address all relevant issues such as participation of and compensation for adjunct faculty.

– Procedures for aligning assessment of student outcomes in WAC courses, academic support, and achievement in the major.

The Institution Creates a Sustainable Curricular Structure

• An institution-wide, vertical writing sequence that depicts the timing and level of required writing-intensive course work;

• Approved templates for writing-intensive courses and syllabi in this sequence; [view courses and syllabi]

• Rubrics adjusted for evaluating writing at different levels and across disciplines; [view sample rubrics]

• Curriculum maps by major that account for writing-intensive courses and offer appropriate options/suggestions;

• Information in print about the variety of general and major-specific writing-intensive courses available;

• Benchmarks for student performance through the sequence of writing-intensive courses.

• Academic support mechanisms appropriate for writing intervention across levels and disciplines.

WAC Implementation: The Integration of Writing into the Curriculum

• Course Design for Integrating Writing into the Curriculum – Incorporating Writing to Learn Activities (Informal

Writing)• Reading Journals• Summaries and briefings• Annotations• Response papers• Synthesis papers

• Quick writes• One-minute papers• Mentor texts• Thinking maps• Inquiry• Double-entry explorations• Fact/opinion• Life book• Project notebook

• Discussion starters• Learning log• Process analysis• Real-world problems• Case study• Letters

– Incorporating Formal Writing Activities Utilizing a Process Approach

• Research papers• Analysis• Reviews• Lab Reports

• WAC Impact on Instruction– Faculty: Facilitators of Writing Activity—Lead

discussion, promote synthesis; First Reviewers for Written Work.

–Students’ Role: Active, Responsive—generate content for review and synthesis. Write to organize and present information.

• Faculty Development–Training in Writing across the Curriculum Pedagogy.–Clarity about level of proficiency faculty will need to

demonstrate in order to teach writing-intensive courses.–Strategies for designing effective writing assignments.–Strategies for responding to student writing (using both

formative and summative assessment).

– Strategies for working with diverse populations of student writers

– Methods of self-assessment and self-paced growth (i.e. how to continue their own development for a writing to learn environment).

– Multiple modes of support for faculty teaching writing-intensive courses: workshops, mentoring, libraries of support material.

– Resources on campus to draw from or partner with.

WAC Challenges

• Resource needs;• Reaching consensus, campus-wide, on all

elements of WAC Programming – from expectations for students to number of required writing-intensive courses to variety and type of writing activities, tools for evaluating writing, and governing protocols for course approvals and program administration;

• Coordination among departments;

• Sustainable faculty development;• Faculty buy-in;• Support for faculty;• Institution-wide assessment of WAC

implementation and outcomes.

General Characteristics of WAC Assessment

• Assessment of multiple elements: curriculum, student writing and student attitudes toward writing, faculty pedagogy, and support mechanisms

• Mechanisms for feeding campus-wide data into the WAC Program;

• A committee structure for ongoing review and reporting of assessment data;

• Common rubrics;

• Benchmarks;• Methodology for using assessment data for

program improvement.

• Sample assessment plan for reference – www.csus.edu/wac/WAC/AnnualReports/WAC_Report_2008.doc

WAC and Academic Support

In a WAC environment, the need exists to align Academic Support with WAC principles and practices. At the least, Academic Support will value writing as a tool for learning and incorporate it in learning activity for all disciplines. As well, Academic Support Services will focus on students’ active role in learning and their writing activity to draw parallels with the classroom environment.

Developing an Action Plan

Additional Resources

• Georgia State University WAC, http://wac.gsu.edu

• Southern Connecticut State College WAC, http://www.southernct.edu/WACC

• The WAC clearinghouse, http://wac.colostate.edu/

Dr. Linda BestKean University

lbest@kean.edu