What is WAC?
As a response to students' lack of writing practice throughout post-secondary education, Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) programs emerged in the 1980s. The philosophies underlying these programs generally agree on certain basic principles:
- that writing is the responsibility of the entire academic community
- that writing must be integrated across departmental boundaries
- that writing instruction must be continuous during all four years of undergraduate education
- that writing promotes learning
According to WAC Clearinghouse (n.d.) only by practicing the conventions of an academic discipline will students begin to communicate effectively within that discipline.
WAC involves writing in all disciplines, but it does not mean simply assigning a term paper in every class. Nor does it mean (as some faculty in the disciplines fear) teaching grammar across the curriculum. WAC programs are not additive, but transformative—they aim not at adding more papers and tests of writing ability, but at changing the way both teachers and students use writing in the curriculum. Writing across the curriculum may be defined, then, as a comprehensive program that transforms the curriculum, encouraging writing to learn and learning to write in all disciplines (McLeod and Soven, 2000, pp. 2-4).
Thinking ahead to students’ lives and careers after graduation, instructors may readily agree that graduates will need to be able to articulate themselves in writing as part of their future careers. Therefore, writing must be a key part of their post-secondary education ((DiPietro et al., n.d.).
Learn more about What is WAC from Owl Purdue.
Learn more about the benefits of using WAC in your classroom.
Visit the WAC Clearinghouse site for further articles and resources.
The WAC Team!
Brett Sharman - Faculty Perspective
Gwen Marsonette - Faculty Perspective