"An Introduction to Writing across the Curriculum",
a vidcast by Zachery Koppelmann,
in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
What is writing across the curriculum?
According to an article in Teaching Sociology,
"The writing-across-the-curriculum movement seeks to impress on students the importance of seeing writing in the context of particular disciplines
and stresses that writing is a powerful way of constructing new knowledge: that is, writing is a way to learn."
Based on this definition,
writing across the curriculum has two major components:
Each discipline has its own contexts for writing,
and that writing is a place for students to engage knowledge,
to further develop their understanding,
and to learn.
Disciplinary Contexts
Within each discipline or field, there are specific contexts
in which writing occurs.
These contexts are more than just formal papers or academic essays.
Writing occurs in e-mails,
reports,
proposals,
requests for proposals,
websites,
brochures,
and manuals.
Writing is of ever growing importance for accurate communication.
Within each context in each field,
there are specific expectations for the writing.
The goal of writing across the curriculum
is to better understand these contexts and expectations,
so that the contexts and expectations
may be clearly articulated to students.
Students entering into a new discipline are unfamiliar with the contexts
in which their writing will occur and the expectations
that will be placed upon that writing.
Because students are unaware of the expectations and contexts for their writing,
there is a steep learning curve.
Many times, students learn through trial and error.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with trial and error,
it takes time, and that time is taken from other lessons.
Writing across the curriculum programs seek to work with the instructors
and students to better articulate those expectations and contexts
so that students can spend more time engaging the individual ideas
concepts, and knowledge within the class
rather than spending the time figuring out the writing expectations
through trial and error.
Writing is a Way to Learn
Writing-to-learn is based on students engaging concepts and ideas.
For students to effectively articulate and communicate
their understanding of concepts and lessons,
they have to examine and analyze them carefully.
Careful examination and analysis
requires students to engage concepts and ideas
multiple times in multiple situations.
Writing across the curriculum programs encourage this level of engagement
through writing projects and through recursive drafting
and revising techniques.
All fields rely on some form of written communication.
Because of this, writing across the curriculum programs
see this as an ideal way to work with students.
As students develop an understanding of the contexts
for their writing and the expectations of their writing,
they will also learn what sort of questions to ask
when they are examining concepts and ideas.
When students begin examining concepts and ideas
within the contexts and expectations of their field,
they will have a better idea of what they should look for
when they are examining subsequent concepts and ideas.
This leads to a greater level of sophistication and analysis,
which helps students better understand concepts and ideas
and better apply them to new situations.
By having students draft and revise their work,
they are better able to go back and refine their own ideas and understandings.
Instructor comments can help guide students
to better understand the contexts and expectations of the writing.
Many writing across the curriculum programs offer workshops and handouts for commenting on student papers, to help encourage students
to better understand the contexts and expectations of the writing.
What is Writing Across the Curriculum?
Writing across the curriculum is a way to enhance non-writing intensive classes.
This goal is not to turn every class into a writing class,
The goal is to use the writing that is already within a class
to help students better engage concepts and ideas inherent to their fields and disciplines.
Writing across the curriculum enhancement is not for everyone or every class.
If it sounds like something that is interesting to you
or if you have further questions,
please contact your university or college's Writing Across the Curriculum program
or first-year composition program.
This has been a presentation of "An Introduction to Writing across the Curriculum,"
a vidcast by Zachery Koppelmann, in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Thank you for listening.