Greetings! We are so thrilled about the far-reaching effects our Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Initiative will have on Kaplan University that we want to share our news and progress with everyone—so welcome to our newsletter! Studies show that students required to write more tend to grasp more fully, process, and have the ability to apply the information and concepts they are learning. Writing well goes beyond the prospect of assuring one’s resume doesn’t end up in the rubbish, or landing a promotion due to a keen business plan. Writing well helps us think better and become more thoughtful and competent participants in our communities and the world at large.
We know that addressing writing issues can be a little uncomfortable for non-composition faculty, so to help alleviate the stress this can cause, we are developing workshops and presentations geared toward creating strong writing assignments as well as assessing the assignments using the universal (GEL 1.1) rubric. At KU, writing is everybody's business and we have to come together to help our students truly succeed—you can expect plenty of faculty support.
We are also excited to announce that the Writing Center will be undergoing some major renovations to support our students. We have an amazing foundation on which to build, but you can expect to see things like a more visible and dynamic Writing Center, expanded Live Tutoring services, and an exciting Writing Coach program to help strengthen the relationship between students, faculty, and tutors (which we are now piloting in 0903A).
As of June, we now have a full Writing Center staff. Joni Boone and Chrissine Rios (who specialize in developmental and ESL/ELL writers respectively) are joined by Diane Martinez, our Writing Specialist, Michaella (Kella) Hammond, our Resource Specialist, and Kurtis Clements, our newest full-time tutor. Their work is supported by a strapping team of part-time tutors who work very hard to provide feedback on student projects. I feel very lucky to have such a creative, talented, and caring team!
Please enjoy our newsletter and stayed tuned for more updates in our future issues. If you have questions, ideas or concerns, please contact me at SColler[at]kaplan[dot]edu. I am always interested in ways we can better serve our students and faculty!
[This article was originally published in our June, 2009 issue.]
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