The document discusses the importance of writing skills across academic disciplines and the workplace. It notes that while employers value writing and critical thinking, many new hires lack these skills. Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) seeks to incorporate writing instruction across all subjects to develop these essential skills. The document outlines different writing strategies like "Writing to Learn" and "Writing in the Discipline" to enhance learning. It emphasizes the transferable skills gained through writing instruction and defines key concepts such as metacognition, academic disciplines, and discourse communities.

1. WRITING
ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM

2. Writing is a Threshold Skill
Writing is a fundamental
professional skill.... writing is a
ticket to professional opportunity,
while poorly written job
applications are a figurative kiss of
death.
~Gaston Caperton
President of the National Commission on Writing for America's
Families, Schools, and Colleges

3. Writing Goes Beyond the Classroom
90% of
employers
cite
writing
and
critical
thinking
as “very
important”
for
success
But, only
16% of
new hires
have
excellent
written
commun-
ication
skills
And, only
28% of
new hires
have
excellent
critical
thinking
skills
(The
Partnership for
21st Century
Skills)
“A third
of
workers
fail to
meet the
writing
require-
ments of
their
jobs”
(College
Board’s
National
Commission
on Writing)

4. 3.1 BILLION
The Annual Cost of Writing
Deficiencies in the Workplace:

5. Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)
is…
Examining
standard
practices of
good
academic
research and
writing across
all disciplines
Developing
written
communication
and critical
thinking skills
Incorporating
Writing to
Learn and
Writing in the
Disciplines

6. WHAT IS WRITING
TO LEARN?
Using writing to examine complex
thoughts and to develop critical thinking
skills.

7. Writing In the Discipline (WID) is …
…researching and writing in ways that are
specific to a particular field of study.

8. Transferrable Skills
Metacognitive
Awareness
Contextual
Clues
Textual
Intelligence
Identification
of Audience
Writing Goals
within
Disciplines
Investigation
of Opposing
Sides
Knowledge of
the Discipline
Independent
Learning
Research
Strategies
within
Disciplines

9. What is Metacognition?
 An awareness of one’s own knowledge—what one does and
doesn’t know—and one’s ability to understand, control, and
manipulate one’s cognitive processes (Meichenbaum, 1985).
 Knowing when and where to use particular strategies for
learning and problem solving as well as how and why to use
specific strategies.
 The ability to use prior knowledge to plan a
strategy for approaching a learning task, take
necessary steps to problem solve, reflect on and
evaluate results, and modify one’s approach as
needed.

10. 21st Century Literacies
Academic Literacy:
• Read & Think Critically
• Comprehend varying modes of
information
• Find, evaluate, incorporate, &
acknowledge sources
• Identify, evaluate, & present
arguments
• Paraphrase & Summarize
• Write expository prose
• Present information visually
• Develop one’s own voice
• Work collaboratively
• Develop problem-solving skills
• Participate in intellectual
dialogue
• Use technology effectively
• Self-advocate
Workplace Literacy:
• Design, evaluate, and manage
one’s own work
• Frame, investigate, and solve
problems
• Collaborate strategically
• Communicate effectively
• Find, analyze, & use information
• Develop new products & ideas

11. Journal: WAC Questions?
 Critical Thinking:
 Take a few minutes to think about the information we
have discussed today such as WAC, WID, and
metacognition.
 In your notes, write down your impressions of this
information
 Does this course sound different from what you
expected?
 Do you have follow-up questions about this material?
 What are those questions?

12. ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES

13. What are Disciplines?
 Discipline is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a
“branch of learning or scholarly instruction.”
 Disciplines = Branches of knowledge which are . . .
Academic = liberal or classical rather than technical or
vocational

14. Major Umbrella Disciplines Include…
Humanities
Social
Sciences
Natural Sciences
Applied Fields

15.  History
 Languages
 Literature
 Performing Arts
 Philosophy
 Religion
 Visual Arts
ARTS & HUMANITIES

16. SOCIAL SCIENCES
 Anthropology
 Communication Studies
 Economics
 Geography
 Library & Information
Science
 Military Science
 Political Science
 Psychology
 Sociology

17. NATURAL SCIENCES
 Astronomy
 Biology
 Chemistry
 Environmental Studies
 Mathematics
 Physics

18. APPLIED FIELDS
 Business
 Criminal Justice
 Education
 Engineering
 Health Sciences
 Law
 Public Administration

19. A Disciplinary Field Shares…
a community
of scholars
a tradition or
history of
inquiry
a mode of
inquiry that
defines how data
is collected and
interpreted
the existence
of a
communications
network

20. Discourse Communities
When groups of scholars share a cluster of interests, methods of
study, and norms of communication, we say that they participate in a
discourse community.
Dialogue in each discipline is based on types of evidence and
methods of analysis that scholars in that discipline privilege.
In order for your research to contribute to the dialog of a
community of scholars you should observe the standards of that
discipline.

21. Maintain Disciplinary Standards
Common Issues
Methods of
Research
Technical Terms
Primary Resources
and Scholarly
Secondary
Resources
Build on the work of
other scholars
Styles of
Communication

22. Journal: Understanding Disciplinarity
 Critical Thinking:
 In your notes, and in your own words, write a brief
description of the four academic disciplines mentioned in
the previous section.
 Humanities
 Social Sciences
 Natural Sciences
 Applied Fields
 Next, list your current class schedule. How might you
classify the courses you’re taking in terms of these four
categories? For each class, write for a few minutes about
what characteristics of the course cause it to fit into the
category you’ve chosen.

23. Bibliography
Caperton, Gaston.
College Board’s National Commission on Writing.
Miller-Cochran, Susan, Roy Stamper, and Stacey Cochran. An
Insider’s Guide to Academic Writing: A Rhetoric and
Reader. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Ruszkiewicz, John J. and Jay T. Dolmage. How to Write
Anything: A Guide and Reference, 2nd ed. NY: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2012.