W courses prepare students for discipline-based writing

Writing is a skill that requires frequent practice.

Ask any writer and they will tell you the same thing. Many common skills can be learned in general writing classes (for example, the basics of punctuation). Other writing skills are discipline-specific and are best taught by expert writers well versed in those areas.

In order to improve students’ writing skills, Texas A&M University began offering writing—or W—courses in the fall of 2003.

To qualify, a three-credit course must base at least 33 percent of the final course grade on writing assignments. As the semester progresses, instructors give feedback on students’ writing—allowing for the improvement of major assignments and overall quality of writing—another important aspect of W courses.

All Texas A&M undergraduate students must take two writing courses in their majors. The requirement went into effect with one W course in the 2004-05 undergraduate catalog (#127) and shifted to two in the 2007-08 (#130) catalog.

Departments design and administer W courses—the College of Liberal Arts currently offers approximately 36 percent of total W courses throughout the university—which are approved for a period of four years. To ensure that courses remain current and relevant, they must be re-approved after 3 years.

W courses provide benefits for faculty

Ted Turocy, assistant professor of economics, who teaches a W course on game theory, believes that it takes no more effort to teach a W course than to teach a class based on exams and homework assignments.

“The distribution of efforts is different and the types of things you spend time on are different, but overall, not a lot more of a time investment,” claims Turocy, who also believes that his own writing habits have improved as a result of teaching a W course.

Students gain real-world experiences in writing

“The W courses are meant not only to improve students’ writing abilities, but also to encourage them to think critically about topics central to their discipline,” said Valerie Balester, executive director of the University Writing Center. “These courses truly enhance the quality of our students’ undergraduate education.”

“The result is that (1) responsibility for teaching writing lies with the whole faculty, giving students the opportunity to practice writing throughout the curriculum and to learn forms of writing that are specific to a given field or discipline, and (2) students are beginning to understand that writing is important for all majors,” Balester explained. “The ultimate implication, I trust, is that our students will be better prepared for life after Texas A&M.”

For more information on W courses, visit the University Writing Center’s website.

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Contact: Holly Lambert, hollyalyselambert@libarts.tamu.edu, 979.862.4879