Course-specific web-based guides are intended to provide writing support 1) to students who will take or are taking required writing-intensive (WI) courses in the major; 2) to faculty who will be teaching or are currently teaching a WI course; and 3) to all students in the major who can easily access the web-based guide to learn about norms and expectations for writing in that major.
Web-based writing guides not only clarify expectations for writing in the major, they also help to set those expectations by laying out, for example, typical assignments; criteria for "good" writing in the major; samples of well-written papers with teacher commentary; teachers' likes, dislikes, and pet peeves, based on interviews with the teachers; and much more, depending on departmental preference. Two less visible but no less important outcomes are that faculty engage in sharing ideas, information, and materials related to writing; and that students see "virtual" evidence that competent writing is every faculty member's concern and is expected in every course.