2019 WAC Summer Institute

The WAC Summer Institute, a three-day event, will be held for the first time from June 23 to June 26, 2019, at the University of Denver, for 30 participants. Purpose The Institute’s primary goal will be to assist new and prospective leaders of WAC/WID or similar initiatives in the US and internationally at planning and […]

Designing and Using Writing-to-Learn Assignments

This virtual workshop was offered on May 7th, 2020 by the AWAC Mentoring Committee and was led by Marty Townsend (University of Missouri Emerita) and Chris Anson (North Carolina State University). The relationship between writing and learning has been a fundamental part of the WAC movement from its beginnings. When students write frequently and informally about the material of their courses, they experience deeper learning—stronger analysis, synthesis, and integration of ideas—and enhanced reading processes (Graham & Hebert, 2010). And when this low-stakes writing is woven into the fabric of their courses, class sessions can be more engaging and socially dynamic. In this interactive workshop, Marty Townsend and Chris Anson explained the theoretical orientation of writing to learn, including distinctions between writing to learn and more formal, higher-stakes writing, and then engaged participants in methods for designing and evaluating effective, learning-based writing assignments and integrating them into their courses to enhance student engagement.