What is a writing intensive (WI) course?

Writing Intensive (WI) courses are ones in which writing plays an integral part in the course curriculum. The purpose of a WI course is to maximize opportunities for meaningful writing experiences and to utilize writing as another tool to teach subject matter in a way that allows students to process what they know into their own words. WI courses use writing activities both inside and outside the classroom in order to challenge students to process information in their own words and through their own language experiences.

What's the benefit of putting more emphasis on writing?

We all want the same things from our students: we want them to be active learners who read effectively, question texts, make connections, reason cogently – and are able to show us that they can do these things. Multiple-choice and short-answer questions, while they have their uses, don't promote these abilities. Though not a magic bullet, the use of various writing activities creates better learners in your classroom.

I'm not an English teacher! Will I have to teach grammar and punctuation?

One of the misconceptions that burdens both teachers and students is that good writing chiefly means absence of error. For many students, achieving such proficiency is a long-term project, a skill to be acquired through much practice in many courses, not "injected" once and for all in English comp courses. Content, organization, development come before editing and surface correctness. You may want to intervene once a student has something substantial on paper, but as a teacher in a discipline course, it is not your primary responsibility to teach grammar and punctuation.

How can I create a WI course?

Submitting a WI course requires meeting the requirements and deadlines.  If you would like to learn more about creating WI Courses, contact Dr.Linda Hirsch. Intensive assistance is provided, including one on one assitance with a Writing Fellow.