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WAC/WID Database
To assist the work of faculty and administrators, we provide materials we have found effective in the classroom, information about the history and funding of QUWAC and a description of our core principles.
All resources below require Adobe Reader
Creating Assignments
Desired learning outcomes begin with appropriate assignment design. In this section, you will find information about our approach to creating assignments that provide opportunities for students to practice the kinds of critical thinking and writing strategies that demonstrate disciplinary skill.
Theorizing Assignments
Crafting Assignments
Linking and Scaffolding Assignments
Understanding Task Words in Assignments
Classroom Discourse and WAC
Fifty Ways to Talk about Academic Integrity
Assigning an Annotated Bibliography
Theorizing Assignments
Crafting Assignments
Linking and Scaffolding Assignments
Understanding Task Words in Assignments
Classroom Discourse and WAC
Fifty Ways to Talk about Academic Integrity
Assigning an Annotated Bibliography
Linking Critical Thinking and Writing
Achieving desired learning outcomes requires careful engineering of the many steps that lead students to greater understanding of course goals and objectives. In this section, faculty will find information on thematic triangulation, WTLs and other QUWAC-tested strategies for guiding the learning process.
Features of Student Writing that Measure Critical Thinking and Writing Skills
Understanding the Critical Thinking Function of Writing Assignments
Teaching for Understanding
Thematic Triangulation in the Humanities
Thematic Triangulation in Biomedical Sciences
Key Terms for Quinnipiac University
Some Things to Think About in Crafting WTLs
Pedagogical History of Critical Thinking and Reasoning
Glenda Pritchett and Tracy Hallstead - Reading, The Bridge to Everywhere - Camtasia Relay (Flash)
Pritchett and Hallstead - Reading, The Bridge to Everywhere - PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
Assigning Peer Reviews
Peer reviews are an essential technique of the critical thinking and writing process. In this section, we provide resources about the theory and effective practice of assigning peer-driven reviews of student work.
Issues to Consider When Assigning Peer Reviews
Three Approaches to Peer Reviews
Peer Review Sample Assignment 1
Peer Review Sample Assignment 2
Peer Review Sample Assignment 3
Glossing and Superglossing
Strategies for Deep Revision
Issues to Consider When Assigning Peer Reviews
Three Approaches to Peer Reviews
Peer Review Sample Assignment 1
Peer Review Sample Assignment 2
Peer Review Sample Assignment 3
Glossing and Superglossing
Strategies for Deep Revision
Evaluating Student Writing
In addition to peer reviews, faculty responses and evaluation of student work are cornerstones of the learning process. In this section, we provide some materials that will help you to reflect upon and implement effective grading practices.
How to Respond to Student Writing
Kinds of Comments to Make on Student Papers
How Your English Teacher Knows You've Handed in a First Draft
Grading Student Papers
Facts on the Teaching of Grammar
How to Respond to Student Writing
Kinds of Comments to Make on Student Papers
How Your English Teacher Knows You've Handed in a First Draft
Grading Student Papers
Facts on the Teaching of Grammar
Sample Assignments
Sharing best practices is an essential element of our philosophy. This section provides samples of critical thinking and writing assignments developed by our faculty.
Sample Assignment Permission Form
Emerging Diseases Writing Assignment
Learning and Teaching in the Elementary Classroom
Mathematics Autobiography
News Story Analysis
Thematic Triangulation in Biomedical Sciences
Human Health Critical Thinking and Writing Assignment
Using Journals to Connect Real-Life Examples to Course Materials in Psychology
QU101 Assignment Sequence Using Reader and Current News Sources
Sample Assignment Permission Form
Emerging Diseases Writing Assignment
Learning and Teaching in the Elementary Classroom
Mathematics Autobiography
News Story Analysis
Thematic Triangulation in Biomedical Sciences
Human Health Critical Thinking and Writing Assignment
Using Journals to Connect Real-Life Examples to Course Materials in Psychology
QU101 Assignment Sequence Using Reader and Current News Sources
Writing in the Disciplines
Supported by a second Davis grant, QUWAC has developed a writing-in-the-disciplines consultation model for work with departments.
WID FAQs (PDF)
WID Proposal (PDF)
WID Model - Fall 2010 (PDF)
WID Model - July 2012 (PDF)
New Vistas Keynote Address: How to Assess and Improve Student Writing in Classrooms, Department, and Institutions. Barbara Walvoord, professor emerita, Notre Dame University (PowerPoint slides)
New Vistas Panel Presentation: A Computer Scientist's WAC WID Journey in Three Assignments. Mark Hoffman, professor of computer science, Quinnipiac University (PowerPoint slides)
NEFDC Conference Spring 2013: WID Consultant Program (PDF)
NEFDC Conference Spring 2013: Suggestions for Incorporating WAC/WID Strategies into CS Curriculum (PDF)
Program Administrators
In recent years, QUWAC has transitioned from being a writing across the curriculum program focused on individual faculty development to a writing in the disciplines program focused on department review. The following resources provide a look at some of the steps we've made along the way.
WID FAQs
WID Model for Department Consultations
Core Curriculum Guidelines Translated into Outcomes Language
2003 Davis Educational Foundation Grant Implementation Schedule
2003 Davis Educational Foundation Grant Interim Report
2003 Davis Educational Foundation Grant Final Report
2008 Davis Educational Foundation WID Proposal
QUWAC Co-Director Suzanne Hudd Describes WID Initiative at "We Say/They Say: A Writing in the Disciplines Symposium." (March 3, 2012)
WID FAQs
WID Model for Department Consultations
Core Curriculum Guidelines Translated into Outcomes Language
2003 Davis Educational Foundation Grant Implementation Schedule
2003 Davis Educational Foundation Grant Interim Report
2003 Davis Educational Foundation Grant Final Report
2008 Davis Educational Foundation WID Proposal
QUWAC Co-Director Suzanne Hudd Describes WID Initiative at "We Say/They Say: A Writing in the Disciplines Symposium." (March 3, 2012)
Our Core Concepts
While QUWAC honors many different ways of implementing WAC and WID, we have developed a particular pedagogical philosophy. In the following resources, we present materials that identify our signature concepts and the thinking that supports them.
Key Terms for QUWAC's WAC/WID Initiative
Concentric Thinking and Thematic Triangulation
WID FAQs
Introduction to the 5th Edition of the QU101 Reader, "The Individual in the Community"
Key Terms for QUWAC's WAC/WID Initiative
Concentric Thinking and Thematic Triangulation
WID FAQs
Introduction to the 5th Edition of the QU101 Reader, "The Individual in the Community"
QUWAC Publications
QUWAC supports interdisciplinary research that explores the connection between critical thinking and writing. Follow the links below to learn more about our recent contributions to the field.
Anthologies:
"Direct from the Disciplines: Writing Across the Curriculum"
Edited by: Mary T. (Trefethen) Segall and Robert A. Smart
Publisher: Boynton/Cook 2005
From the Publisher: "What is possible when the impetus to improve students' writing comes not from the administrative level but from faculty members in departments across campus? In Direct from the Disciplines, representatives from a broad range of disciplines at Quinnipiac University recount how they worked together to bring about a writing-across-the-curriculum program that really works. Professors from departments in business, the humanities, the sciences, computer science, and occupational therapy as well as administrators describe the theoretical and subject-specific challenges they faced in changing the culture of writing in their classrooms and on their campus. Together their essays build a consensus about which practices and strategies for implementation are essential in achieving success with WAC. Their ideas are backed by example writing assignments, samples of student work, and descriptions of support services that are grounded in the reality of teaching and sustaining WAC.
"This book is as useful as it is reader friendly ...a helpful guide to WAC planning and implementation that will be a welcome contribution to faculty in specific disciplines."
-- Art Young, author of Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum, Third Edition
"Direct from the Disciplines is an excellent teaching tool for all concerned about improving student writing. This is the kind of book where faculty may at first look for a representation of their own discipline but end up reading the advice from others."
-- Joan Mullin, co-author of ARTiculating
"If one wonders about the current state of what is by now a fairly old idea, this volume will provide a fresh, up-to-date, and well-written testimony to its vitality and health. Readers will find descriptions of innovative writing, authentic student responses, and a carefully articulated set of WAC principles both theoretically sound and classroom tested."
-- Toby Fulwiler, co-editor of Writing Across the Disciplines and Author of College Writing, Second Edition
Books:
"Using Technology in Teaching"
Authors: William Clyde and Andrew Delohery
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2005
From the publisher: "Computers can help teachers accomplish many of their tasks more efficiently and effectively, but how can a time-strapped teacher determine which pieces of technology are likely to be most helpful? This easy-to-read book offers useful guidance for real-world situations. Organized around specific instructional goals (improving student writing, promoting collaborative learning) and commonly encountered tasks (communicating with students between class, distributing course materials), the book shows teachers at all instructional levels when and how technology can help them meet everyday challenges. CD-ROM included."
Conference Proceedings:
"Communication Genres: Integrating Communication into the Software Engineering Curriculum"
Presented by: Michael Carter and Mladen Vouk (North Carolina State University); Gerald C. Gannod, Janet E. Burge, and Paul V. Anderson (Miami University); Mark E. Hoffman (Quinnipiac University)
Event: 24th IEEE-CS Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEE&T), 2011
Abstract: One way to improve the communication abilities of new software engineering graduates in the workplace is to integrate communication more effectively in the software engineering curriculum. But faculty typically conceive of communication as outside their realm of expertise. Based on the results of an NSF-funded project, we use theories of situated learning and genre to make the case that communication is integral to software engineering and that faculty are in the best position to guide students in becoming better communicators in the field. We identify software engineering genres and show how those genres may be used to integrate communication in the classroom and throughout the curriculum.
"Bridging writing to learn and writing in the discipline in computer science education"
Presented by: Mark E. Hoffman, Timothy Dansdill and David S. Herscovici
Event: SIGCSE '06 Proceedings of the 37th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 117 - 121
Abstract: Writing in Computer Science education is typically writing to communicate to a professional audience--also known as "writing in the discipline." (WID) A few Computer Science educators have promoted "writing to learn" (WTL) for active learning. A gap exists between these two forms of writing that inhibits the general adoption of writing in Computer Science. We propose that "bridging" informal WTL assignments to formal disciplinary writing as a way of promoting general adoption of writing across all courses, thus improving thinking and writing skills for all Computer Science students. We include examples of assignments that bridge writing to learn and writing in the discipline.
Research Articles:
"Using Writing Across the Curriculum Exercises to Teach Critical Thinking and Writing"
Authors: Robert Smart, Suzanne Hudd and Andrew Delohery
Publication: The College Writing Toolkit: Tried and Tested Ideas for Teaching College Writing, Editors Martha C. Pennington and Pauline Burton. London U.K.: Equinox Publishing, 2011, 219-237
Abstract: The authors apply the principles of concentric thinking, a locally developed critical thinking model, to student learning in a sociology classroom. Specifically, questions employing prioritization, translation and drawing analogies were applied to a sophomore/junior sociology course to model and encourage critical thinking about a variety of issues involving students' involvement and investment in a host of social problems. A comparison of the work that students did at the end of the semester to the first work that they completed at the start of the semester demonstrated significant movement in their acquisition of critical thinking skills and in their own appreciation of the problems they studied.
"My Understanding Has Grown, My Perspective Has Switched: Integrating Informal Writing and Cognitive Outcomes"
Authors: Suzanne S. Hudd, Robert Smart and Andrew Delohery
Publication: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 39, No. 2, April 2011, 179-189
Abstract: The use of informal writing is common in sociology. This article presents one model for integrating informal written work with learning goals through a theoretical framework known as concentric thinking. More commonly referred to as "the PTA model" because of the series of cognitive tasks it promotes-prioritization, translation, and analogy (PTA)-concentric thinking practiced through PTA provides a basis for structuring students' informal writing over the course of a semester. The authors present data in which students use PTA to assess their journal entries as text at the end of the semester. The students' informal responses to their own writing demonstrate the achievement of an important course goal-the development of sociological mindfulness-while they also reveal a deeper understanding of the important features of written work. The authors conclude that when informal writing is purposefully linked to a set of thinking goals and learning outcomes that are necessary to complete formal course requirements, it can serve as a powerful teaching tool to enhance both thinking and the ability to convey thoughts in writing. Structured in this way, informal written work can enable us to observe and assess changes in students' learning that would otherwise remain invisible, and it can alter our pedagogy in fundamental ways.
"Creating a Campus Culture of Integrity: Comparing the Perspectives of Full- and Part-time Faculty"
Authors: Suzanne S. Hudd, Caroline Apgar, Eric Franklin Bronson, and Renee Gravois Lee
Publication: The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 80, No. 2, March/April 2009, 146-177
Abstract: Part-time faculty plays an important role in creating a culture of integrity on campus, yet they face a number of structural constraints. This paper seeks to improve our understanding of the potentially unique experiences of part-time faculty with academic misconduct and suggests ways to more effectively involve them in campus-wide academic integrity initiatives.
"Moving Forward, Looking Backward: An Exercise in Recursive Thinking and Writing"
Authors: Suzanne S. Hudd and Eric Bronson
Publication: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 35, No. 3, July 2007, 264-273
Abstract: As writing parallels thinking and understanding, written assignments can elaborate not only what students think, but also how their reasoning evolves, and whether course materials influence their knowledge, beliefs and behavior. A well-structured writing assignment can also be used as a window to assess student comprehension, and where necessary, correct misconceptions that arise during the learning process. Students bring a set of "pre-understandings" to their assignments. The work we assign must teach students to observe their observations, to understand that their insights are always selective, adapted within the context of their subjective experience and that their comprehension of course content is guided by the ways in which they relate to and process it. In order to encourage students to become aware of the "pre-understandings" they bring to the learning experience, faculty must construct assignments that require students to confront them.
"Syllabus under Construction: Involving Students in the Creation of Class Assignments"
Author: Suzanne S. Hudd
Publication: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 31, No. 2, April 2003, 195-202
Abstract: Collaborative teaching techniques are designed to alter the relationship between the professor and the students in order to share the process of learning class materials. In a collaborative classroom, students are encouraged to participate in the design and implementation of class materials. This paper presents an exercise in which the students are required to develop the assessment criteria for a class in introductory sociology. In the first class session, students are given a syllabus including only topical headings and are charged with constructing the list of graded assignments. It is noted that, by and large students respond positively to being included in the design of the class syllabus, and some of the logistical concerns and pedagogical constrains of implementing this exercise are described.
Anthologies:
"Direct from the Disciplines: Writing Across the Curriculum"
Edited by: Mary T. (Trefethen) Segall and Robert A. Smart
Publisher: Boynton/Cook 2005
From the Publisher: "What is possible when the impetus to improve students' writing comes not from the administrative level but from faculty members in departments across campus? In Direct from the Disciplines, representatives from a broad range of disciplines at Quinnipiac University recount how they worked together to bring about a writing-across-the-curriculum program that really works. Professors from departments in business, the humanities, the sciences, computer science, and occupational therapy as well as administrators describe the theoretical and subject-specific challenges they faced in changing the culture of writing in their classrooms and on their campus. Together their essays build a consensus about which practices and strategies for implementation are essential in achieving success with WAC. Their ideas are backed by example writing assignments, samples of student work, and descriptions of support services that are grounded in the reality of teaching and sustaining WAC.
"This book is as useful as it is reader friendly ...a helpful guide to WAC planning and implementation that will be a welcome contribution to faculty in specific disciplines."
-- Art Young, author of Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum, Third Edition
"Direct from the Disciplines is an excellent teaching tool for all concerned about improving student writing. This is the kind of book where faculty may at first look for a representation of their own discipline but end up reading the advice from others."
-- Joan Mullin, co-author of ARTiculating
"If one wonders about the current state of what is by now a fairly old idea, this volume will provide a fresh, up-to-date, and well-written testimony to its vitality and health. Readers will find descriptions of innovative writing, authentic student responses, and a carefully articulated set of WAC principles both theoretically sound and classroom tested."
-- Toby Fulwiler, co-editor of Writing Across the Disciplines and Author of College Writing, Second Edition
Books:
"Using Technology in Teaching"
Authors: William Clyde and Andrew Delohery
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2005
From the publisher: "Computers can help teachers accomplish many of their tasks more efficiently and effectively, but how can a time-strapped teacher determine which pieces of technology are likely to be most helpful? This easy-to-read book offers useful guidance for real-world situations. Organized around specific instructional goals (improving student writing, promoting collaborative learning) and commonly encountered tasks (communicating with students between class, distributing course materials), the book shows teachers at all instructional levels when and how technology can help them meet everyday challenges. CD-ROM included."
Conference Proceedings:
"Communication Genres: Integrating Communication into the Software Engineering Curriculum"
Presented by: Michael Carter and Mladen Vouk (North Carolina State University); Gerald C. Gannod, Janet E. Burge, and Paul V. Anderson (Miami University); Mark E. Hoffman (Quinnipiac University)
Event: 24th IEEE-CS Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEE&T), 2011
Abstract: One way to improve the communication abilities of new software engineering graduates in the workplace is to integrate communication more effectively in the software engineering curriculum. But faculty typically conceive of communication as outside their realm of expertise. Based on the results of an NSF-funded project, we use theories of situated learning and genre to make the case that communication is integral to software engineering and that faculty are in the best position to guide students in becoming better communicators in the field. We identify software engineering genres and show how those genres may be used to integrate communication in the classroom and throughout the curriculum.
"Bridging writing to learn and writing in the discipline in computer science education"
Presented by: Mark E. Hoffman, Timothy Dansdill and David S. Herscovici
Event: SIGCSE '06 Proceedings of the 37th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 117 - 121
Abstract: Writing in Computer Science education is typically writing to communicate to a professional audience--also known as "writing in the discipline." (WID) A few Computer Science educators have promoted "writing to learn" (WTL) for active learning. A gap exists between these two forms of writing that inhibits the general adoption of writing in Computer Science. We propose that "bridging" informal WTL assignments to formal disciplinary writing as a way of promoting general adoption of writing across all courses, thus improving thinking and writing skills for all Computer Science students. We include examples of assignments that bridge writing to learn and writing in the discipline.
Research Articles:
"Using Writing Across the Curriculum Exercises to Teach Critical Thinking and Writing"
Authors: Robert Smart, Suzanne Hudd and Andrew Delohery
Publication: The College Writing Toolkit: Tried and Tested Ideas for Teaching College Writing, Editors Martha C. Pennington and Pauline Burton. London U.K.: Equinox Publishing, 2011, 219-237
Abstract: The authors apply the principles of concentric thinking, a locally developed critical thinking model, to student learning in a sociology classroom. Specifically, questions employing prioritization, translation and drawing analogies were applied to a sophomore/junior sociology course to model and encourage critical thinking about a variety of issues involving students' involvement and investment in a host of social problems. A comparison of the work that students did at the end of the semester to the first work that they completed at the start of the semester demonstrated significant movement in their acquisition of critical thinking skills and in their own appreciation of the problems they studied.
"My Understanding Has Grown, My Perspective Has Switched: Integrating Informal Writing and Cognitive Outcomes"
Authors: Suzanne S. Hudd, Robert Smart and Andrew Delohery
Publication: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 39, No. 2, April 2011, 179-189
Abstract: The use of informal writing is common in sociology. This article presents one model for integrating informal written work with learning goals through a theoretical framework known as concentric thinking. More commonly referred to as "the PTA model" because of the series of cognitive tasks it promotes-prioritization, translation, and analogy (PTA)-concentric thinking practiced through PTA provides a basis for structuring students' informal writing over the course of a semester. The authors present data in which students use PTA to assess their journal entries as text at the end of the semester. The students' informal responses to their own writing demonstrate the achievement of an important course goal-the development of sociological mindfulness-while they also reveal a deeper understanding of the important features of written work. The authors conclude that when informal writing is purposefully linked to a set of thinking goals and learning outcomes that are necessary to complete formal course requirements, it can serve as a powerful teaching tool to enhance both thinking and the ability to convey thoughts in writing. Structured in this way, informal written work can enable us to observe and assess changes in students' learning that would otherwise remain invisible, and it can alter our pedagogy in fundamental ways.
"Creating a Campus Culture of Integrity: Comparing the Perspectives of Full- and Part-time Faculty"
Authors: Suzanne S. Hudd, Caroline Apgar, Eric Franklin Bronson, and Renee Gravois Lee
Publication: The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 80, No. 2, March/April 2009, 146-177
Abstract: Part-time faculty plays an important role in creating a culture of integrity on campus, yet they face a number of structural constraints. This paper seeks to improve our understanding of the potentially unique experiences of part-time faculty with academic misconduct and suggests ways to more effectively involve them in campus-wide academic integrity initiatives.
"Moving Forward, Looking Backward: An Exercise in Recursive Thinking and Writing"
Authors: Suzanne S. Hudd and Eric Bronson
Publication: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 35, No. 3, July 2007, 264-273
Abstract: As writing parallels thinking and understanding, written assignments can elaborate not only what students think, but also how their reasoning evolves, and whether course materials influence their knowledge, beliefs and behavior. A well-structured writing assignment can also be used as a window to assess student comprehension, and where necessary, correct misconceptions that arise during the learning process. Students bring a set of "pre-understandings" to their assignments. The work we assign must teach students to observe their observations, to understand that their insights are always selective, adapted within the context of their subjective experience and that their comprehension of course content is guided by the ways in which they relate to and process it. In order to encourage students to become aware of the "pre-understandings" they bring to the learning experience, faculty must construct assignments that require students to confront them.
"Syllabus under Construction: Involving Students in the Creation of Class Assignments"
Author: Suzanne S. Hudd
Publication: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 31, No. 2, April 2003, 195-202
Abstract: Collaborative teaching techniques are designed to alter the relationship between the professor and the students in order to share the process of learning class materials. In a collaborative classroom, students are encouraged to participate in the design and implementation of class materials. This paper presents an exercise in which the students are required to develop the assessment criteria for a class in introductory sociology. In the first class session, students are given a syllabus including only topical headings and are charged with constructing the list of graded assignments. It is noted that, by and large students respond positively to being included in the design of the class syllabus, and some of the logistical concerns and pedagogical constrains of implementing this exercise are described.