For the 15th consecutive year, Mason’s Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program has been ranked among the best writing in the disciplines programs in the US by US News and World Reports. Mason’s WAC program supports the efforts of faculty across the curriculum to make student writing a priority in course work for the major. “We’re very honored to be among the programs ranked nationally once more,” director of the WAC program, Michelle LaFrance, said. The rankings were generated through nominations from 1,500 schools taken during Spring 2016.
Mason’s WAC program, established in 1993, was designed to develop students’ understanding of the writing in their disciplines, as well as their ability to communicate as professionals within their respective fields. The program fosters a number of ideals about writing, including that:
- writing is an important tool for learning and discovery,
- students gain proficiency as writers when they are given frequent opportunities to write for various audiences and purposes,
- faculty across the curriculum share responsibility for helping students learn the conventions and writing practices of their disciplines,
- students benefit from revising their writing based on meaningful feedback from their instructors,
- and writing instruction must be continuous throughout a student’s education.
Frequent opportunities to write in diverse contexts and for diverse audiences, to receive feedback, and to engage in revision strategies help students to think more creatively and critically, engage more deeply in their learning, and transfer their learning from context to context.
The list of educational institutions ranked by US News and World Reports includes Brown, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and several others. George Mason University was among six other public universities to make the list. Other public universities listed were: Colorado State, North Carolina State–Raleigh, University of California–Davis, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, University of Missouri, and Washington State University.
Congratulations to Mason WAC!
To see the listings, go to:
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/writing-programs