Part A: General Guidelines

Because appropriate amounts of writing will vary across disciplines (for example, mathematics students generally write less than philosophy students) the instructor should describe course guidelines for assignments and target an amount of writing appropriate to the discipline in question. While the amounts of writing may vary, all WID courses will

• require students to write throughout the course rather than at the end of the course and provide opportunities to revise writing assignments in collaboration with peers and/or faculty and teaching assistants;
• teach the conventions of writing and thinking in a particular discipline, or in a particular interdisciplinary context.

In addition, we strongly recommend that WID courses require students to complete multiple writing projects designed to communicate for different purposes and with a variety of audiences appropriate for the particular discipline. Some WID instructors may require students to take midterms, finals or other exams, but graded writing assignments, with opportunities for revision, will constitute a large percentage of the final course grade, roughly 40 percent or more.

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Part B: Frequently-asked questions (FAQ's)

1. How many pages of writing do I need to assign?

To some extent, the answer depends on the main content of the course. For courses that typically do require writing, such as a history or political science course, about 20-25 pages of assigned pages per student is considered reasonable. In contrast, a science course may assign a substantial portion of the grade to experiments or problem sets, in which case The University Writing Advisory Council suggests a writing workload of at least 15 finished pages of writing per student, with 10 or more of these pages going through revision. In addition, regardless of the type of course, at least one substantial assignment should be seen through a second revision to allow students to submit a polished piece of writing. In all courses, it is recommended that writing assignments involve a range of types of writing and intended audiences.

2. What is expected in revision? How much should be revised?

A revision is not to be confused with mere editorial changes. Revisions are usually substantial, often requiring rearranging the flow of text, excising entire paragraphs and adding new themes or arguments. Of course, revision may not be needed if the quality of submitted work is high enough. While you need not require revision for all assigned writing in the course, it is instructive to remember that professionals often revise their work several times before it is considered finished.

3. Isn't this going to increase my workload?

This is a fair question. WID courses are not intended to increase faculty workload. For many faculty who teach small WID sections (15 students or fewer), the small class size is expected to compensate for the additional grading per student. In other cases, UWAC suggests decreasing the non-WID content of the course to accommodate the writing component. Peer review by the students is a good way to both reduce workload and engage the students; since most WID course students will have had University Writing 20 they will very likely have experience doing peer-review.

4. How did UWAC arrive at the page counts in the suggested workload?

For comparison, UW20 requires about 30 finished pages, each of which is revised at least once if not twice. With about 15 students in class, that's at least 900 pages of grading. UWAC believes it's fair to require at least half of this “page-load” in WID courses whose main purpose wouldn't otherwise involve writing (think science course), or at least 450 pages. Thus, for a class size of 15, with 5 unrevised pages, 10 pages worked through a first revision and 5 pages through a second one, that's about 30 pages per student, or a total of 450 pages. For courses that have traditionally required writing (think history course), a page-load of 20-25 is probably more appropriate.

5. My discipline has dense technical writing. How can I fairly require that much writing from my students?

UWAC understands that disciplines differ in their approach to writing, so the amount of writing required of students may vary for certain courses. You can help us understand your rationale when you submit your proposal.

6. How many types of writing should I require in the course?

We recommend a minimum of two different types but believe at least three would be better. Possible types of writing vary greatly by discipline. Some examples include journal article, review, expository article, report, proposal, business letter, business plan, essay, reflective essay, critique, poem, story, political brief, biographical sketch, research paper, laboratory report, laboratory manual .

7. Do posters and presentations count as writing?

Posters and digital presentations can serve an important writing function, especially when accompanied by other documents.

8. How much should writing assignments count toward the final grade?

UWAC believes that writing assignments should count for at least 40% of the course grade, a substantial enough portion of the grade to keep students focused on writing. A WID application proposing a lower percentage should be accompanied by a strong written justification.

9. Do I need to teach writing? As it applies to my discipline?

UWAC expects that students will be given some instruction in writing as it applies to your discipline and the course requirements, whether in class, in a lab or through some other means. The amount of time you spend on teaching writing is up to you. Generally, it would be helpful to show students some samples of writing in your discipline. It might also help to prescribe a textbook or handbook on writing in your discipline or to point to websites that address this topic. Students will certainly want to know how you plan to grade their writing.

10. Must a WID course carry three credits?

No, but three credits are standard for WID courses. However, whether a course meets the purpose of the WID requirement is more important than the number of credits.

11. How will I know whether my proposal has been approved? Will I get feedback and an opportunity to revise the proposal if need be?

The WID Director will notify you and your chair as soon as possible (usually within 3-5 days) regarding acceptance of the proposal. You must then make sure the course is listed properly as a WID course on your departmental schedule.

12. If my new course has been approved as a WID offering, does it also require curriculum committee approval?

The WID Program can approve only the WID designation for a proposed WID course. The traditional channels must be used to get a new course approved. Note that faculty may offer 700-level courses without formal curriculum committee approval, but in such cases, WID approval is still necessary.

13. Does WID approval need to be renewed annually?

A WID course does not need to be approved annually or each time it is taught, as long as the assignments and goals for the writing component of the course remain the same as when they were approved.  If there are substantial changes, please submit a new or updated WID proposal form, or a written memo outlining the changes and the rationale, to the WID Director. As a matter of policy, we expect to review WID courses every three years.

14. What training is offered for WID faculty?

Several WID workshops are offered each semester and now the WID Studio provides online assistance for faculty as well.. We will send out announcements, and you can also visit our web site. The workshops and the WID Studio exchanges are intended to help faculty organize their course, think creatively about using current resources to best effect, and to talk about different approaches to designing a WID course. We are also willing to schedule individual consultations.

15. What additional teaching resources are available?

Special support resources are announced each year (e.g., Instructional Assistants, Peer Writing Preceptors). For resources on incorporating an intensive-writing component in your course, please visit the WID Studio:FACULTY. Other resources include the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, the Writing Center, and instructional librarians at Gelman.

16. What is a template submission?

For a course taught in multiple sections, it may be appropriate to submit one WID application covering the multiple sections of the course. This may be particularly useful when some sections of the course are staffed by part-time or adjunct faculty who may be assigned shortly before the course starts.