Going Beyond a Utilitarian Approach to Teaching Writing >Diane Martinez

Numerous articles in the many editions of this WAC newsletter have focused on two important aspects of teaching writing: 1) make writing relevant to students’ careers, and 2) use holistic grading practices that evaluate content as well as grammar and mechanics. In today’s society, higher education is focused primarily on preparing students for the workforce; thus, we have initiatives like WAC in place to allow students the opportunity to practice discipline-specific writing. Consequently, we gear our composition courses and writing assignments so that they closely resemble the writing demands of professionals in various career fields. This is all valuable practice. I would, however, like to talk a bit about how we make writing valuable to students beyond the utilitarian perspective of preparing them for what they will experience on the job. What about the learning and humanistic aspects of writing?

When I was an undergraduate learning how to teach writing, one of my textbooks was Erika Lindemann’s A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. It’s one of the few undergraduate texts that I actually read from beginning to end; one of the few I engaged with as evidenced by excessive highlights, underlines, and annotations throughout the book. Obviously, this book evoked some sort of passion in me, because my grammar books don’t have a mark on them (I think the spines still creak when I open them). I have returned to Lindemann’s book many times throughout my teaching career, and when I was searching for a topic to write about for this month’s newsletter, I turned to her book for inspiration; it’s sort of like my writing bible.

Lindemann acknowledges the importance of teaching writing from a practical perspective:

The ability to write well still creates economic power. If we will examine, together with our students, the kinds of writing required in jobs that interest them, they will discover important work-related reasons to improve their skills….Writing well may not guarantee advancement, but writing poorly jeopardizes success. Employers expect written communication to be clear and concise. (Lindemann, 1987, pgs. 4-5)

At Kaplan, we follow this same philosophy and constantly remind instructors and students about the reality of workplace expectations when it comes to communication. And even though our society has changed drastically since Lindemann wrote her book, even in a day when "r u ok?" and "c u soon" are common and accepted textual communications in many instances, there is still no replacement for Standard American English in professional venues at this time. And proper English seems to be what we focus on quite a bit when we teach writing.

That focus is not wrong by any means, and I am not advocating a replacement or modification of it; but, what I do want to discuss is how we can teach students to use writing as a way toward clearer thinking and learning about a subject, as well as how we can teach students "to appreciate [and use] writing that discovers meaning, form, and self" (Lindemann, 1987, p. 7).

While some may say that Kaplan is not a liberal arts college, therefore, we do not have writing classes that encourage this kind of flowery, self-discovery-type of writing (aka creative writing), I posit that writing in any class, even a technical writing class, can encourage writing for learning and self-discovery. How this insight can take place is by using the writing process.

In many of my own articles for this newsletter, as well as when I give presentations to instructors, I am constantly reminding faculty to encourage the writing process with their students by reminding them several weeks ahead that a project is due. I don’t do this to nag (although I have that nagging characteristic to my personality), but I say this because of the unique population that Kaplan serves. Our students are probably the busiest portion of the American population. Many work full time, have families with multiple children and spouses or significant others, are actively involved in the community, and are pursing a college education online. I’m not sure balance is even possible when it comes to handling so many critical life responsibilities. Consequently, many of our students resort to writing their projects at the last minute and put little or no critical thought into what they are submitting. To them, it may be just an assignment. And this is what we want to change.

When we encourage the writing process and even go so far as to implement the writing process in our courses, such as asking for prewriting, outlines, and drafts either as projects or as discussion questions, we show students that the writing process is important. And it is through our feedback to students, as well as through peer feedback, that students can use writing as a way to learn more about a subject, to think critically, and go beyond the obvious or simple summaries they often provide in their projects. By asking questions about what students have written helps them to analyze the subject from different perspectives, and when the writing process is part of the class, it also gives students time to search for answers to those questions and think through their subject in a thoughtful way.

The learning aspect of writing also leads to the humanistic value of writing that Lindemann mentions above regarding self-discovery. Many students don’t even know they are capable of contributing to an existing body of knowledge (see Erica Ellsworth's November article), and when they are set up to follow a process that allows them to think through a subject in steps, they will develop original ideas, and they will have the time to communicate those ideas using proper English, which for some are two amazing feats.

The writing process should be encouraged in every class for written projects. When you stop and think about what a student faces in one week with reading, discussion, and outside obligations, it is not an efficient practice, nor is it conducive to thoughtful reflection, to sit down and write a paper in one night. We can help students write a stronger paper that actually contributes to the body of knowledge in their field, as well as helps them use writing as a way to learn about a subject and what they are capable of achieving by just simple reminders in our weekly letters and by incorporating the writing process in unit activities.

Note: I am aware that instructors cannot change their courses individually, but you can provide course leaders with suggestions about how to use the writing process for discussion and projects, which can be addressed when a course is revised or rewritten. In fact, use this blog to start discussions on ways the writing process can be incorporated in your existing courses.

Reference
Lindemann, E. (1987). A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Diane is a writing specialist in the Writing Center.

Developing a Meaningful Revision Policy >Diane Martinez

I shudder at the word revision. In the immediate moments that follow a grading session, revision means simply more grading; however, I have to admit that sometimes revisions are necessary. I’m a writing instructor; I know this to be fundamentally and pedagogically true. But when should we allow students to revise? Some instructors have a strict no-revision policy, while others allow unlimited revisions. I contend there is no happy medium, but rather, instructors should develop a meaningful revision policy that encourages good writing practice and learning.

I can’t find the exact quote, but we might consider the concept that good writing is never finished, just due. For many of us that is a sad truth because we could work on our masterpieces for eternity, but what good would that do? No matter what type of writing we do on the job, eventually a final copy has to be turned in.

A revision policy that allows for unlimited revisions may send the wrong message to students. If students are allowed to revise as much as they like, then what they may end up doing is simply turning in draft writing initially just to meet a deadline and then incrementally revise based on each subsequent grade until they finally get the grade they want. While we want to offer unlimited opportunities to teach students, unfortunately, for many of students, "unlimited" equates to infinite opportunities to raise a grade. That approach is time-consuming for both student and instructor, but more importantly, it’s really a rather ineffective writing practice.

So we have to ask ourselves, what kind of writing practices do we encourage with our revision policy? In order to help students prepare for the writing demands of the workforce, we want to ensure that our revision policy encourages good writing strategies. One way to develop effective writing strategies is to encourage the writing process from the start. Remind students at least two weeks ahead of time that a writing assignment is due and promote the writing process. This might include a visit to the Writing Center live tutor to brainstorm ideas or to draft a working thesis statement. Encourage students to write multiple drafts, because it is in the drafting stage that they should learn to catch problems with structure, organization, and correctness. What we do not want is for students to get in the habit of turning in drafts for their projects. How would a manager receive a report draft when the final was supposed to be delivered? Instructors might even want to look at projects the same way a boss would look at a report, as a final copy that meets certain requirements and expectations, and in most cases, a boss would not allow unlimited opportunities to revise.

We also want to make sure our revision policy is meaningful for students. While some of us spend a great deal of time commenting on student papers, when it comes to asking students to revise, consider meeting with them on AIM or preferably on the phone to discuss the assignment. Basically, students should not revise or rewrite an assignment without first meeting with the instructor to clarify what needs to be revised and why. If students do not meet with the instructor, consider letting the original grade stand. Meeting with you is not a punishment; it is, however, a motivator because it allows students to talk with you about their writing, which can be a significant learning moment.

On the other end of the spectrum are students who want to revise simply for a higher grade. To help these students focus on their writing instead of on a grade, ask them to meet with you to discuss their writing and what they would like to improve overall. Of course, one question is, doesn’t a better grade indicate students have learned, whether or not you’ve met with them? This is not always the case because when someone is simply looking for a checklist of items to "correct," learning has not always taken place. The goal is so grade-oriented that the "learning" becomes distorted because it is so strongly connected with a grade. Having a conversation with an instructor about writing, however, eliminates that checklist mentality and forces the student to look at their process and writing as a whole.

No matter if students are revising because they misunderstood the assignment or they want to raise their grade, help them make their revision goal-oriented and demonstrate noticeable progress that is measurable on one or two particular skills. This is best achieved through a one-on-one conference. By meeting with you personally, students are asked to articulate what they would like to improve upon, how they plan to do that, and how that can be achieved in the assignment they are working on.

As an institution of higher learning, one of our goals is to prepare students for the workplace. I do not know of many workplaces that would take kindly to draft writing being turned in when a final copy was expected; however, I am also aware that when a report does not meet its target, management will ask for a rewrite, sometimes kindly and sometimes not so kindly. We are, however, a teaching institution and so we want to give students some room to fail in a safe environment. A meaningful revision policy can be one of those safety nets; however, we want to ensure that what we are doing through this policy will help students develop better writing practices, which will help them learn to be better writers.

Diane Martinez is a writing specialist in the Writing Center.

Did you know...

Diane is working on her PhD in professional and technical communication at Utah State University in Logan, UT?

Killing Spiders and Cleaning Gutters: Differentiating Between the Writing Process and Procrastination > Diane Martinez

I had a writing assignment to do over the weekend, and so I did what every good writer would do, I cleaned out my hallway closet. My hallway closet is an unplanned community that houses every imaginable household object that has no other place to reside including my exercise ball pump, an air mattress with a hole in it, old computer disks, cell phones, and eye glasses. There are boxes of files from my high school teaching days that hold every file folder for every class, book, or lesson I ever taught. All of this had to be sorted through; I couldn’t write a single word until this nagging chore was taken care of. After the hallway closet was cleared and organized, there was no way the garage was going to get away with being in the shape it’s been in for the last three years. I organized every nut and bolt, swept away cobwebs, killed some awful-looking spiders (I’m not the catch-and-release-type of person), and hung up all lawn tools. Next, it was my clothes closet where I had to try on every item of clothing I own in order to decide whether it would go in the Goodwill bag or remain on my shelf for another year (yes, I know those jeans are still too tight, but I just know I can lose those nasty 10 pounds). This is all very important, you know, and takes a great deal of time…time I should have spent writing. In fact, at the end of the weekend, try as I might, I could not find another thing to clean or organize in lieu of writing my assignment.

I have no idea how I actually have become a professional writer with these kinds of “prewriting” habits. I convince myself that such organizing and cleaning activities give me a chance to think through my topic, angle, and construct original ideas, but the truth is, I’m simply procrastinating…and I love to write! If a lover of writing and language like me puts off the pain and agony of staring at a blank screen or piece of paper, can you imagine the brutal self-flagellation that those who hate writing go through? When I see how much energy I actually put into avoiding writing, I have to sympathize with students who say to me “I hate writing,” or “I am terrible at writing; it’s so hard for me.”

When I present writing workshops, I am constantly reminding students to use the writing process in order to do their best work. I tell them how I am one of those people who say I do my best work under pressure, but that’s not really true, especially when it comes to writing, which demands thoughtful presentation of ideas and skillful use of language. Can you really do your best when you press yourself up against an immovable deadline?

Many of our students avoid writing papers until right before they are due because they are petrified, extremely busy, or they just plain hate writing and they’d rather clean their gutters than sit down and write an essay; the process seems so long and involved for them. So how can we help students who have these habits that we all know too well ourselves?

Students, especially those who have a difficult time writing, will actually write a better paper if they use the writing process as well as the writing resources at Kaplan University. The writing process actually breaks up the overwhelming chore of “writing an essay” into several easy-to-manage tasks that can be done in 30 minutes to an hour each day. A few things that instructors can do to help students use the writing process to their advantage and prepare for an upcoming assignment are to:

• Announce the assignment at least two weeks in advance. If you think about it, it is very difficult to do a week’s worth of reading, post on the discussion board, and write an entire essay in one week. While we do not want to encourage students to work ahead, they can take a sneak peek at projects that are coming up in order to start the prewriting part of the writing process. Furthermore, they can take the assignment and their initial ideas to a live tutor in the Writing Center and ask for help brainstorming.

• Encourage students to break down the assignment into steps or parts and show them how that’s done. Break down one assignment for them and suggest ways to use the Writing Center, Library, or meetings with you to firm up their ideas. For instance, after they have an idea of what topic they want to write about, encourage them to start preliminary research and suggest they read a few articles from the online databases in the KU Library.

• Compose a working thesis statement. Students can take that working thesis statement to a live tutor in the Writing Center and ask for feedback on that as well.

• Ask them to write a first draft, as opposed to a rough draft, which many interpret as being all they need to do before they turn in the next draft, which is their final paper. The paper review service is most helpful to students when they submit a first draft because tutors offer holistic feedback, which means students are expected to revise and rewrite based on the comments (not simply edit and proofread). The revised draft is their second draft. This is a good time to meet with you, too, in order to discuss the comments received from the paper review tutor, as well as issues regarding content.

• Explain the difference between editing and proofreading so that they can spend time on the editorial aspects of their paper before turning in the final copy.

Our students are often so busy or intimidated about returning to school that they don’t always think ahead about their school work. A little reminding from you, however, can go a long way. When students are given reminders to break up their homework assignments into more manageable steps, they are more likely to succeed. This success is seen through what they learn about the subject or content of their paper because they are more thoughtful about the ideas they are working with. They also are more successful as writers because they have learned how to manage the assignment, structure and organize their thoughts, and considered the language they use. They have also learned to use the best resources available to them – the faculty and staff at Kaplan University.

Did you know...

... that Diane is a cake decorator? She has been asked to decorate her friend’s wedding cake this summer when she gets married at Lough Cutra Castle in West Ireland (http://www.loughcutra.com/).

Diane is a Writing Specialist at the Kaplan University Writing Center.

Distinguishing Plagiarism From Teaching Moments > Diane Martinez

I may look meek and mild, but I am really not the coddling type, so don’t get the impression from the title that I am going to write an article that entirely sides with students on this issue or that I take plagiarism lightly. I am a firm believer that plagiarism is like taxes: You can be penalized whether or not you intend to commit plagiarism (or fraud in the case of taxes). And this same rule holds true for our students; however, since we are a teaching institution, we have a unique opportunity where we can use some instances of plagiarism as teaching moments. I don’t have any hard and fast rules or tips on how to distinguish a reportable case of plagiarism from a teaching opportunity, but I do have a few things for instructors to consider before they decide to report a student.

In my five years of teaching at Kaplan University, I have had several instances where I had to report students for plagiarism, and it’s always a painful process—not the administrative process, but the emotional strain it puts on us as instructors to actually turn someone in for such a serious offense, and it is indeed serious. There really is no way of getting around turning in a student whose final project shows up as 95 or 100 percent plagiarized in Turnitin.com, whether the information was lifted from an Internet source or whether a student used another student’s project; those cases are clearly reportable.

But what about the Unit 5 project that has a references page, but no in-text citations? Or it has in-text citations and no references page? Or quotations in the project, but no in-text citations or references page? And my personal favorite: a completely different style of writing than you’ve seen from this student before, and a quick Google search or pass through Turnitin.com shows where this student “got” his or her information. Are these reportable instances of plagiarism or teaching moments? I would venture to say these instances can certainly be teaching moments because they allow us to actually teach a student vs. grade him or her, especially since the project is not the final project.

I know what it’s like to get into grading mode. When you’re grading, that’s all you do—grade. We know we have an inbox full of projects to be graded and it takes a certain mindset to get them graded and returned within the specified timelines Kaplan sets. You have to set aside uninterrupted time (ideally), and then you have to sit down in your easy chair (ideally), laptop nestled squarely in front of you, a good beverage by your side (not alcoholic—that comes afterwards!), and the phone turned off. You are now set and ready to “grade.” And so we get into our zone where we mark errors, make comments, and assign grades. It’s easy to get lost in this zone as we open up one project right after the other, frustrated by common errors that you know you covered in seminar, as well as blatant disregard for the project description.

But if we stop, blink or look up from our screens, and even get up out of our chairs to stretch our arms and legs, we might also stretch our minds into seeing the opportunities that lie before us when we grade papers that look like students are simply taking the easy way out. And they may very well be, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t take a moment to let students know we noticed instances of plagiarism and that if they’d like to take the time to correct their mistakes, we can help them with that.

Typically, the way I handle such instances as described is that I assign a grade (failing) and a promise to report the student as having plagiarized if he or she does not meet with me to discuss the paper. If the student does meet with me, I give him or her an opportunity to rewrite the assignment based on our one-on-one consult. When approached this way, we are giving a student the option to learn or take a failing grade and be reported for plagiarism. Most times, seriously, students just don’t know the rules for citing correctly or they are confused. Confusion, although disregarded by the U.S. Government when it comes to taxes, does not have to equate to failing. Confusion should be cleared up by intervention from an instructor. Furthermore, if this same student is caught plagiarizing on subsequent projects, then you have solid grounds for reporting the student and the emotional strain on you will not be as great because you have given the student previous learning opportunities.

While we can take the same stand about plagiarism that the U.S. Government takes about taxes—it is your responsibility to be informed—we at Kaplan are better than that, and we are here to teach. So with that, I encourage instructors to stretch their legs once in a while when grading and evaluate moments when we can really make a difference in our students’ lives—a positive, learning difference.

Did you know…

Diane Martinez is an avid cyclist training for the Lotoja next September? The Lotoja is a 206-mile cycling race from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the Teton Mountain Range. The trip must be completed in one day and during daylight hours only (lotojaclassic.com). That will be a news story in itself if she actually completes it!  Diane is a Writing Specialist in the Writing Center.

[This article was originally published in our September, 2009 issue.]

Writing Center Workshops: Sharpening Student Writing Skills > Diane Martinez

APA getting your students down? Even though you keep marking sentence fragments on their projects and referring them to the Writing Center, do they seem to reappear each week? You wonder, do they even go to the Writing Center and use the resources available to them? Well, sometimes learning on your own is tough and some students do better in interactive live sessions. Here’s where the Writing Center workshop series each month can help!

The Kaplan University Writing Center offers live workshops each month to help your students through these writing quandaries and many more. You might be wondering how a workshop can help with writing issues, but they really can make a difference.Workshops are live audio seminars accompanied by a presentation and synchronous chat. The main advantage of attending these live presentations is that they are solely dedicated to writing. In class seminars, you have to cover content along with giving some writing advice once in a while, but our workshops are 100 percent writing-oriented.  That’s all we talk about, and we answer student questions right on the spot.  Some of the workshops are even interactive where they can practice the very skills we are presenting on and they get immediate feedback. Besides, we’re a cool and lively bunch in the Writing Center and we know how to make writing fun and interesting!

New student workshops are offered every month. We continually present popular ones like APA and Major Writing Errors and How to Avoid Them, but the topics we cover are as varied as a bag of Skittles…we’ve got something for everyone. To date, we have given workshops on:

• All About APA

•  Hallmarks of Effective Writing

• Major Writing Errors and How to Avoid Them
  

• Integrating Research Sources

• What Writing Across the Curriculum Means for KU Students
  

• Research Strategies

• Thesis and Essay Development

• Microsoft Word 2007 Workshops

• Citing Web 2.0 Sources

• Writing Concisely

• A Cure for Writer’s Block

• Avoiding Plagiarism

• Pronoun Workshop

• English as a Second Language and English Language Learners Workshops

As you can see, we cover a wide range of writing topics and this is only the beginning! But what if students have to work and miss a workshop?  We’ve got this covered. We record all of our workshops for that very reason. We understand our students are busy, yet dedicated students, so we archive recordings of all the latest workshops and they are readily available to students right from the Writing Center home page.

No registration is required for the workshops. The schedule contains links that students simply click on to attend the workshops of their choice on the day and time indicated.

We welcome your input on topics for workshops for both students and faculty. Please contact Diane Martinez with your suggestions.

Diane Martinez is a Writing Specialist at the Kaplan University Writing Center.

[This article was originally published in the July, 2009 newsletter.]

What Makes A Good Writing Assignment? > Diane Martinez

What in the world would you do if you were to receive the following message in an email from your supervisor?

Write a paper on what your plans are for this year and how you’re going to accomplish those goals. It is important that this be well written as your promotion potential and salary depend on how well you do on this assignment.

Aside from panic, a million questions would swirl around your head. So much rests on this assignment…and yet…do you really know what is expected of you? After all, you are a professional. Shouldn’t you know what to do?

Expectations vary from one individual to the next. When students encounter generalized writing assignments like the one above, they have a similar reaction to it as you probably had. As instructors, we often fall back on the thought that our students are in college and they should know how to write a paper. But oftentimes, students fail at assignments because they simply are not given enough direction; it has nothing to do with the level of their education, but rather they may just not know what each individual instructor’s expectations may be or the directions of the assignment are vague, quite general, or they are highly interpretive. Maybe instructors understand the assignments, but our students do not have the same knowledge base or experience as instructors and so how can they be expected to have this same understanding? Furthermore, since courses at Kaplan University are standardized, spelling out expectations in writing assignments becomes even more important because it leaves less room for interpretation by individual instructors as well as each student.

So what does a good writing assignment include? A good writing assignment:

Defines the situation, subject, and purpose of the assignment. Students have to know why they are writing a certain assignment, what they are supposed to get from it, and its purpose. Purpose also lends itself to form, so it’s important that students are told what form to write in and that it matches the purpose. There is a definite difference between writing an essay, which is more demonstrative of what a student knows, and writing a business letter, which is based on what an audience needs to know.

Identifies an audience. It may seem obvious that students are writing to instructors because that is who ultimately grades the assignments, but if you want students to step outside of this traditional relationship and consider real-world applications, you have to give them enough information about the audience you want them to write to. Audience determines content, tone, diction, structure, form, and so much more. But to simply say, write this letter to a potential client is not enough. Set up a scenario so that students can understand the situation and the audience they are writing to. This is actually practical experience for them that they can use later on.

Tells students what to do. To say write a “paper” or “essay” is generic and really of no use to students. In fact, there are about eight different types of essays, such as expository, compare and contrast, persuasive, process, etc. Tell students exactly what you want: Write a compare and contrast essay where you are analyzing the similarities and differences in how each person’s case was handled between the Big and Little cases in units 7 and 8. Or if you want them to compose something that is geared toward a specific audience, tell them what form would be best to fit the purpose and audience, such as a proposal, letter, or memo. Letting them practice various forms also helps students understand that “writing” is not generic. It is a specialized task that requires constant practice and proficient skill in order to be effective.

Gives students help with structure and organization. When I tutor students in the Writing Center, one of the main issues they have is with organization. They are not sure how to begin an assignment or structure paragraphs. To help them with this, include wording like this: Your essay should have an opening paragraph that introduces the topic, provides brief background information, and includes a thesis. Body paragraphs should support your thesis statement and must include a), b), and c). Finally, write an overall conclusion to wrap up the paper.

Includes evaluation criteria. Every assignment should have a rubric and refer students to that rubric. A generic rubric oftentimes does not work because a rubric should actually reflect the individual criteria by which that particular assignment is going to be evaluated. Make mention of things we often take for granted like writing formally, not using second person, and using Standard American English with a short note of what this actually means.

Gives a process to follow. Most people have the mistaken idea that we write on demand. Well, we do, but that is often not our best writing. Advise students about when to begin the assignment and what steps they should take to make this assignment an example of their best work. For instance, all writing assignments should start with brainstorming or some type of exploratory writing. This can include brainstorming for topics to write about or brainstorming about what they know about a topic and what they need to know, such as writing out research questions. They can also brainstorm ideas for how to approach the assignment, especially if individual questions are already provided to them to answer. They should be told to draft their assignment and then revise. It’s not too elementary to mention the difference between revision and editing either. Reviewing the writing process with students and how it relates to a particular project is actually quite helpful to them and will set them up for success instead of leaving them floundering.

Provides additional resources. It’s always a good idea to remind students about your office hours and that if they have questions they should come to you. Let them also know where they can get additional assistance, such as through the Writing Center Live Tutoring sessions or by looking up items in the Writing Center Reference Library.

Our students are in college, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need specific, precise, and direct writing assignments. Nothing should be taken for granted because our students have such diverse backgrounds and experiences. It is also a good idea to remember that they also need a safe place to experiment with ideas, and if they are grappling with how to structure an essay then it takes their attention away from the content we really want them to explore.

Diane Martinez is a Writing Center Writing Specialist at Kaplan University.

[This article was originally published in our July, 2009 issue.]

Why Is There a KU WAC Initiative? > Diane Martinez

Why is KU implementing a WAC initiative when we already have two college composition courses that students must take in their degree programs? For some, the answer is simple; for others, this opens up Pandora’s box.

College composition courses are traditionally courses that have high dropout and failure rates – at any university. One reason for this is that students, like some administrators and instructors outside of the composition department, often mistake college composition as a content course. It is not. Writing is a practiced skill and one that cannot be taught in one or two courses. It is a skill where students progress in competency throughout their entire degree program; therefore, it is crucial that they are given an opportunity to practice this skill in every class they take.

As English instructors, we often hear the phrase “I hate writing” as if writing were a particular subject like engineering or law. They often think that if they can get through their composition courses then they never have to deal with writing again. They couldn’t be more mistaken. Furthermore, along with this attitude comes the myth that if they pass these courses then they must be good or college-level writers. The fact is, English professors can only do so much in 20 weeks. First, one job of English professors is to teach the fundamental skills associated with writing, such as how to form correct sentences, paragraphs, and introduce students to genres, such as various types of essays, reports, and business correspondence. Second, students are taught the other elements of writing in these courses, such as how to conduct research and integrate that information into their writing. They are also taught how to establish content in their writing, as well. This is a lot of ground to cover and to allow for ample practice in only 20 weeks.  And finally, other reasons these classes have such high dropout and failure rates is because English professors are dealing with several issues that affect student writing, such as the grave dislike for writing and various levels of competency.

The varying levels of writing ability bring up another issue, which is what does it mean to pass a college composition course? Should all students pass these courses with the same level of competence? That is not even possible. English professors teaching these frontline classes must accommodate all levels of ability and help students improve their writing skills; they cannot possibly expect all students to master writing within 20 weeks. Improving writing ability may mean that students who come in with no concept of what a sentence is, much less how to form paragraphs or even write a coherent essay, may show improvement in the ability to construct complete sentences and form paragraphs, but they may still struggle with writing an entire essay. And why should these students pass? Because writing is about more than having correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Certainly those elements of writing are crucial for students to learn, which, by the way, they can achieve only through constant practice; however, some of those students may have excelled at the research aspect of their essay assignments, for instance, as well as demonstrated a thorough understanding of their topic. They certainly may not earn an A in a composition class, but it is probable for them to pass.

What needs to happen then is that in every class students’ writing must be assessed and they must receive assistance with those areas of their writing that they need the most help with. This can come in the form of referrals to the Writing Center, or possibly one-on-one sessions, such as during an instructor’s office hours, to give students further guidance on how to improve their writing for that particular class or overall.

This is where the KU WAC initiative comes in. When students' writing is assessed in every course and they are offered assistance in every term, there is no way they can graduate without having ample opportunity to receive the help they need to become proficient and professional writers. The KU WAC initiative is all about offering students the practice and help they need to become professional communicators no matter their career field.

[This article was originally published in our June, 2009 issue.]