What is Writing Across the Curriculum?
Since 2018, the University of Virginia’s Writing Across the Curriculum initiative aims to enhance the culture of writing across Grounds. The common goals of WAC at UVA are (1) to expand students’ opportunities for writing across their academic careers, (2) to increase students’ writing proficiency, (3) to deepen students’ engagement with learning, (4) to foster a campus culture that supports writing, and (5) to create a community of faculty actively engaged in the development of student writing through instruction and mentorship.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, UVA’s WAC initiative has focused its efforts in three major areas: faculty preparation, curriculum, and infrastructure support. Primarily, this work has taken the form of (1) providing faculty resources on the teaching of writing, (2) assisting in the creation of writing-enhanced courses in the disciplines, and (3) supporting the integration of writing and writing instruction in courses across Grounds.
WAC works with faculty, departments, and schools seeking to develop students’ writing abilities and promote students’ learning through writing, using evidence-based methods that are manageable, assessable, and sustainable.