What is writing intensive?
Students are often confused by what a “WI” course is. For them, any course in which they wrote a formal paper, whether five or fifteen pages, is probably “writing intensive.” Similarly, they see any course which has them write a lot of words as “writing intensive.” But at ECU, WI means something very specific: while faculty across the university may use writing in a number of ways to help students meet course goals, only courses which make a conscious effort to meet the University Writing Outcomes are listed as “WI.”
The University Writing Program hopes that faculty around campus will use lots of different writing strategies and activities in order to promote deep learning in their students. Studies have shown that students who write about what they’re learning tend to internalize material more fully and learn materials more deeply. Faculty often use end-of-day reflections on course lectures, informal |
journaling about ideas covered in class, or perhaps other writing-to-learn activities like stopping discussions periodically to have students write and reflect silently on ideas/conversations in order to help students connect with course materials more effectively. (Find more on writing to learn on this page.)
But not all “writing to learn” (WTL) activities help students meet the University Writing Outcomes, so while we hope faculty suffuse their classes with WTL, Writing Intensive courses should provide space for students to work on the University Writing Outcomes. While students may not master all of these outcomes in any one WI courses, the goal is that by the time students have completed 12 hours of WI coursework, they should be competent in these outcomes.
But not all “writing to learn” (WTL) activities help students meet the University Writing Outcomes, so while we hope faculty suffuse their classes with WTL, Writing Intensive courses should provide space for students to work on the University Writing Outcomes. While students may not master all of these outcomes in any one WI courses, the goal is that by the time students have completed 12 hours of WI coursework, they should be competent in these outcomes.
Top Tips for Teaching WI
Your WI Course Syllabus
The Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Committee expects all instructors teaching WI courses to have an explicit statement on each syllabus to indicate that the course is part of the WAC program at ECU. Each WI syllabus should have the following statement on them each semester:
Writing Intensive (WI)
___________ [insert course prefix, number, and section] is a writing intensive course in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program at East Carolina University. This course will focus on the development of writing skills. Upon completion of the course students will:
- Use writing to investigate complex, relevant topics and address significant questions through engagement with and effective use of credible sources.
- Produce writing that reflects an awareness of context, purpose, and audience, particularly within the written genres (Including genres that integrate writing with visuals, audio or other multimodal components) of their major disciplines and/or career fields.
- Demonstrate that they understand writing as a process that can be made more effective though drafting revision.
- Proofread and edit their own writing, avoiding grammatical and mechanical errors.
- Assess and explain the major choices that they make in their writing.
This course contributes to the twelve-hour WI requirement for students at ECU. Additional information is available at the following site: http://www.ecu.edu/writing/wac/.
Questions About the University Writing Portfolio?
The QEP website has instructions (video and text) for both students and faculty along with information on ECU's Quality Enhancement Plan. Also, the rubric below is the tool used to assess student writing portfolios.
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