Principles of Writing Across the Disciplines Programs at UCONN

To practice these principles requires: Belief in the principles, belief that the instructor can do what these principles imply, a commitment to using these, and to incorporating writing across the curriculum and in one's own courses. This may necessitate a willingness to change what one is currently doing.
  1. Writing should be an integral part of the learning process in all courses.
  2. Teaching writing is the responsibility of all faculty. No single discipline, department, or division "owns" writing or should be responsible for the exclusive teaching of writing.
  3. Writing is a process, or a combination of processes, involving variations on generating ideas, writing a first draft, and revising one or more drafts. Writing assignments should reflect the process.
  4. We learn to write by writing.
  5. Teachers of writing should write.
  6. There are many reasons for writing. Academic assignments often involve writing to
    enable the student to learn the subject, or to learn how people in a particular discipline think about it and work in it. Writing to learn is different from writing to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter or knowledge of the forms and conventions of writing in a particular discipline.
  7. Responses to student writing should accommodate the purpose and the stage (what draft?).
  8. Responding to student writing is different from editing it. College students, not their teachers, can and should be responsible for identifying and correcting mistakes in grammar and spelling (when this shift of responsibility begins is up to you).
  9. Not all writing should be graded (for instance, early or intermediate drafts). Indeed, the teacher doesn't have to read every draft of every student paper; students can be taught to work in peer-response groups, and to do peer editing.
  10. There is more than one way to write. Indeed, there are many right ways to write.
Developed in 1991-92 by an interdisciplinary UConn faculty committee, under the aegis of Dean Paul Goodwin, to reinforce the teaching of "W" courses.

Return to Writing Between the Lines Home Page

Return to UCInfo