The faculty believes that students need specific and various writing instruction and practice in their major at an advanced level in order to be competent writers upon graduation.
Students must take Writing 121 (Composition) and one other course designated Writing II in the Baccalaureate Core. Some majors require specific Writing II courses such as Business Writing or Technical Writing. Learn more about the relationships between Writing I, Writing II, and WIC here.
All WIC courses must go through an approval process and satisfy WIC criteria established by the Faculty Senate. See the WIC Learning Outcomes and WIC Course Proposal Guidelines.
No. WIC courses must also use formative (ungraded or minimally graded) writing as a mode of learning course content. Also, students must receive writing instruction and be given opportunities to revise after receiving feedback on their formal writing assignments. See the WIC Learning Outcomes and WIC Course Proposal Guidelines for more information on the requirements for WIC courses.
Yes, as long as your department wants the particular course to become a WIC course.
To make an existing course into a WIC course:
- A WIC proposal form, including answers to narrative questions listed.
- A complete syllabus for the course (one for each modality in which the course is taught: Corvallis, Cascades, and/or Ecampus).
- Copies of the handout that will be given to students for the major writing assignment(s).
For a new course:
- A regular Category II proposal form.
- Everything listed above for an existing course.
More detailed information about WIC course proposals is provided in the WIC Course Proposal Guidelines.
Response journals, micro-themes, write-and-pass exercises, impromptu in-class writing (example: Write down three things you understand so far in this lecture and one thing you don't understand). You can learn about other techniques by attending the Faculty Seminar, by reading the quarterly WIC newsletter Teaching With Writing, by attending WIC workshops and talks, and by viewing model writing assignments designed by OSU WIC faculty.
Class size is limited so that teachers can assign lots of writing, give student instruction in writing in the discipline, and give individual attention and feedback on their writing. Our experience (and research on the teaching of writing) shows that larger classes reduce the amount of writing assigned, the quality of writing instruction, and the quality of feedback students receive.