WAC Faculty Information

Faculty interested in developing a “W” course must: 

·  Submit a letter of interest to the WAC executive Committee.  The letter should include approval of the suggested course by the Department Chair

·  Submit a syllabus with a course outline clearly noting the “Writing to Communicate” and “Writing to Learn” components; please note that your syllabus should clearly explain the “W” component.

·  Attend a WAC certification session.

   Follow the guidelines below:  Checklist for Writing-Intensive Syllabus

At the end of the course, WAC-certified faculty should

·  Provide the committee with some samples of student writing              

·  Add two WAC-related questions to the student course evaluation form

Criteria for “W” Course Designation

 In order to receive the “W” designation, a 3000/4000 level course must include:

·   At least three items from at least two different categories in Group I     ·  The exercise from Group II  

Group I:  Writing to Learn (WTL)                         

By using the WTL activities, your students will gain practice in the sort of single-draft writing expected of them in exam situations or quick-draft career writing projects.   Whether or not you evaluate every assignment, WTL exercises will help your students realize the idea-generating potential of writing and its value even when it is not graded.  Ideally, these WTL strategies help students focus their ideas as they prepare to write formal essays or reports. 

Informal and Formal Group I Exercises

 A:  Journal/Notebook Writing

                        Laboratory notebooks (in narrative style)

                        Reflective journals—on lectures, readings, etc.

                        Recording journals

                        Dialogue journals to be shared

                        Scientific log

B.      Informal Writing Activities

Argumentative writing/essays

Expressive papers

Timed in-class writing

Short-answer/essay exams

Case studies

Student letter exchanges

Class listserv/e-mail exchanges

In-class response writing

Peer writing exercises, including reading out loud

Peer evaluation

Creative writing such as poetry, playwriting, etc.

Microthemes or mini-essays

Group brainstorming

Quick-writes or focused free-writing

Exit questions or pre-discussion reading responses

C.      Discipline-Specific Technical Writing

Abstracts

Documentation

Lab reports

Literature explication or analyses

Book reviews

Translations

Project proposals

  Writing to Communicate (WTC)--Group II

WAC courses require at least one formal writing assignment appropriate to the discipline.  The professor determines both the appropriateness of the subject and establishes the draft submission polity.  The professor offers constructive comments that lead to a high-quality finished product.  The paper should be evaluated on content, form, grammar, and spelling.  It should also represent a sustained effort on the part of the student.

Checklist for Writing-Intensive (W) Syllabus Before you submit your adapted syllabus for WAC designation to your Department Chair, please refer to this checklist. Any syllabus with a writing component should provide the following useful information. Sample syllabi are available on the WAC website at www.westga.edu/~wac. --  Place a prominent “W” beside the course section number to indicate that it is a WAC course: for example, BIOL 4320-01W.  Students need to be reminded of their WAC courses; they must keep track of how they are progressing with the W requirement. --  Define WAC and the role writing will play in your class.  For example: NOTE: A “W” designation after a section number of a 3000- or 4000-level course signifies that the course is a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) course.  WAC accepts as a guiding principle the idea that writing is a valuable tool for learning and communication.  Therefore, the writing components of a course so designated are designed to help you learn the material and communicate what you have learned.  Students are required to take two “W” courses for an undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. -- List all formal writing assignments (WTC): include a brief description, indicate length, and explain what percentage of the final grade the assignment will receive. (Writing To Communicate denotes at least one formal writing assignment appropriate to the discipline.  The professor both determines the appropriateness of the subject and establishes the draft submission policy.  The professor offers constructive feedback, which leads to a high quality finished product.  The paper should be evaluated on content, form, grammar, and spelling and should represent a sustained effort on the part of the student). --   List all informal writing assignments (WTL): you must include at least three (3) items from at least two (2) different categories. Please visit the WAC website at www.westga.edu/~wac for a list of possible WTL activities. (Writing To Learn exercises such as journals, essays, and in-class writings will help your students realize the idea-generating potential of writing and its value even when it is not formally graded.  Primarily, these writing strategies help students focus their ideas as they prepare to write formal, WTC activities.  Further, by using WTL activities, your students will gain practice in the sort of single-draft writing expected of them in exam situations or quick-draft career writing projects). -- The Department Chair should submit copies of all WAC syllabi to the WAC coordinator for the  WAC file. Our WAC Syllabus checklist was adapted from an article by Hildy Miller, University of Minnesota

 

Creating and Assessment of WTC Assignments

Please feel free to contact Lori Lipoma for additional materials on the following topics:

                        ·   Characteristics of an effective writing assignment

                        ·   Designing effective writing assignments

                        ·   Sequencing writing assignments.

Furthermore, WAC faculty may consult the UWG English Department's Essay Grading Criteria for out-of-class essays; WAC students, having completed 1101 and 1102, are familiar with its standards and have satisfied the requirements of Freshman composition with a grade of C or better.