WAC Assignment-Design Principles 

Writing and WAC Bibliography

WAC Research

1. Tie any writing in the course directly to your course objectives.
   
2. Engage students in patterns of thinking characteristic of your discipline: ask them to explain, define, apply, classify, compare and contrast, problem-solve, show cause and effect, illustrate, analyze, persuade.
   
3. Invite analysis and synthesis to force students beyond retention and recall.
   
4. State a purpose and identify a specific audience; also let students know how this task is important to them.
   
5. Use open questions that permit a variety of legitimate responses.
   
6. Segment assignments into manageable steps, allowing opportunities for intervention throughout.
   
7. Sequence tasks within the assignment or writing assignments over the semester from simple to complex, building on previous steps.
   
8. Include evaluative criteria in the assignment.

   

   An earlier version of this document was developed by Mary Pat McQueeney at KU. 
   The current version was produced by Mary Pat McQueeney at JCCC on March 17, 2000.

   Up
   Teaching