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

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Best Practices for Implementing Writing
Across the Curriculum (WAC) in Support of Student
Learning and Achievement
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Dr. Linda Best Kean University, Union NJ

• A Presentation for Innovative Educators

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

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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 students undergraduate education.
• A value for writing as a method of learning.

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• What is an institutional rationale for
  implementing WAC how do students benefit from
  WAC programs?
• Frequent 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)

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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 reportscan be combined with WTL activities to help students think through key concepts and ideas, in their disciplines.
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WAC Testimonials

• From the National Commission on Writing in
  Americas 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.

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• John Mayher, et. al., WAC Clearinghouse
  Language is the most powerful learning tool we
  have. All students have a right to discoveror,
  perhaps, rediscoverthe joys of learning and we
  should all recognize that writingis 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 ownthe process of
  writingis demonstrably a process of learning.

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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.

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• 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.

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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.

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Exploring a Major WAC Resource
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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.

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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.

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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

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• 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

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• 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.

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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

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• 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.

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

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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

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

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

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• Incorporating Formal Writing Activities Utilizing
  a Process Approach
• Research papers
• Analysis
• Reviews
• Lab Reports
• WAC Impact on Instruction
• Faculty Facilitators of Writing ActivityLead
  discussion, promote synthesis First Reviewers
  for Written Work.

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• Students Role Active, Responsivegenerate
  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).

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• 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.

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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

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• Sustainable faculty development
• Faculty buy-in
• Support for faculty
• Institution-wide assessment of WAC implementation
  and outcomes.

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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

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• Benchmarks
• Methodology for using assessment data for program
  improvement.

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

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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.

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Developing an Action Plan
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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/

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Dr. Linda BestKean University

• lbest_at_kean.edu