As the case in any course that asks students to write, strong syllabi are especially important in writing-intensive courses because they model effective writing, establish the purpose and role of writing in the course, and give vital information about it. Furthermore, in a WIP course, syllabi teach the writing process by charting writing assignments, their stages, and due dates. Moreover, syllabi, both paper-based and online versions, are perhaps the course document that students are most likely to keep up with and to review most often. This makes the syllabus an important teaching tool—for students as well as for faculty. Previous WIP faculty have reported that writing-enriched classes lead them to articulate more clearly their goals for a course and to state objectives and criteria for grading more explicitly in their syllabi and materials.
Some features of effective syllabi for Writing Intensive Program courses are listed below.
- Make writing in the disciplines philosophy, as well as the role and benefits of writing in the course, clear.
- WIP syllabi should integrate writing assignments fully into course learning. In some situations, this many entail more selling than in others: students in lecture-based courses may not expect to have to write and may be resistant because, as they put it, “It isn’t an English class.” This resistance may be met by emphasizing the benefits of writing to learn the course content, as well as by emphasizing writing as a critical competency in an information culture. It can also be countered with truly innovative writing assignments that students see as clearly relevant to their university and post-university careers and that boost their performance in the course.
- Introduce and articulate the role of your WIP TA.
- Stage assignments, breaking them into manageable parts with opportunities for guidance, feedback, and revision. A course calendar or process timeline can be useful.
- Sequence assignments so that students can build on and elaborate early learning.
- Consider logistics of prompt feedback, conferences, and revision.
- Offer clear guidelines and criteria by which work will be generated and evaluated.
- Along with articulating the features of effective writing in a course and specifying the most important writing conventions, course materials should let students know what part disciplinary styles and formats such as MLA, APA, or CBE will play, as well as the role that editing errors involving grammar, punctuation, and spelling will play in finished work.