In order for your department to move from a Writing-Intensive to a WAC model, please view the materials below to get started.
A Department Writing Plan is a living document that will continually adapt as the department uses assessment results to determine the effects of its writing-enriched curriculum and use of writing-to-learn pedagogy. It is meant to serve the following functions:
- Describe how the department works toward enhancing students' communication skills
- Augment existing recruitment efforts by demonstrating to prospective students and their families that the department is committed to teaching students disciplinary content and how to communicate that content
- Show transparency in the department's assessment of efficacy of writing-to-learn strategies
- Serve as a resource to newly hired department faculty by offering strategies for enriching course design with writing activities
- Demonstrate how the department contributes to the university's strategic plan to adopt high-impact practices (Goal 2, Strategy 1, Tactic 3) by offering courses that emphasize writing at all levels of instruction and encouraging the production of various genres for various audiences
These materials are meant to be used in collaboration with the WAC director who can guide your process; please contact Bryna Siegel Finer (brynasf@iup.edu) if you think you may be ready to begin. All materials are customizable for your discipline and your students—no two departments have used these documents in the same way.
Understanding WAC at IUP
Plan Templates
Resources
- Resources for developing WAC plans and teaching writing across the curriculum
- If you're still not convinced about WAC or think your colleagues might be skeptical, check out this reading on the link between writing, learning, and critical thinking in content areas. This article also dispels common myths, like “teaching writing will take too much time away from my course content” and “adding writing assignments will bury me in grading.”
As always, if you are interested in the teaching of writing, please contact brynasf@iup.edu for an individual consultation or resources.