In Spring 2021, the WAC Committee approved new learning outcomes for WI courses. The Committee developed these outcomes to provide additional clarity on the purpose of the Writing-intensive course and to give additional direction on the kinds of writing instruction that should take place in them.
In order to help faculty and units integrate these new outcomes into their course designs, the Committee developed an Implementation Review Process that includes opportunities for units to conduct self-review and to engage with Committee members and WAC Program staff on the design of their WI courses.
This webpage provides information about this process. Please click on the links below to learn more about it.
PurposeThe main purpose of the Implementation Review is to provide feedback to academic units and faculty on their WI course designs with the ultimate goal of helping units successfully integrate the new outcomes into their WI courses. In addition, this review is intended to help units prepare for future Recertification Reviews (described below).
Beginning in fall 2023, the Committee will begin conducting the Implementation Review, which will include all courses carrying the WI attribute. In order to sustainably manage the amount of work for the Committee members reviewing course materials and units developing them, the Committee has adopted a two-year schedule for this review. The table below outlines this schedule:
| College | Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2023 | Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 | Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: CEHD; CHSS (1/2) | Notification | Support for Academic Units | Review | Feedback | |||
| 2: CHSS (2/2); CHHS; Carter; Schar | Notification | Support for Academic Units | Review | Feedback | |||
| 3: CVPA; CEC | Notification | Support for Academic Units | Review | Feedback | |||
| 4: COS; SBUS | Notification | Support for Academic Units | Review | Feedback |
The Committee will notify academic units of their upcoming review by the beginning of the semester prior to the review semester. This notification will include a request for specific course materials that the Committee will review and information about development opportunities provided by the WAC Program. All requested materials must be submitted to the Committee by the first day of the review semester.
Following its review, the Committee will share the results with academic units no later than the start of the semester following the review semester. At this time, the Committee will provide feedback on the course and inform academic units about any changes to the course they should make in order to ensure that the course retains its WI status in future recertification reviews.
In order to generate a robust perspective and provide meaningful feedback on the integration of these outcomes, the Committee will request units to submit the following materials:
- A WI course application and review planner (forthcoming)
- A syllabus with specific targeted WI outcomes identified
- Descriptions/instructions of all major writing assignments (could be included with the syllabus)
- A course schedule with instructional activities identified (could be included with the syllabus)
The Committee will use the linked evaluation sheet to review these materials (forthcoming).
Because this review is intended to be a formative process, the WAC Committee encourages academic units to work with the WAC Program and their Committee representative on their course designs.
Prior to the review semester, Committee representatives can help academic units learn about the review process and develop their review materials. Following a review, representatives can provide insight on the feedback from the Committee and consult with academic units on incorporating that feedback into course revisions.
The WAC Program is also available for consultations and has also developed a set of resources to assist academic units with integrating the new outcomes. These resources include: a guide to integrating the new outcomes; a faculty learning community (FLC) focused on integrating the outcomes into course designs; and stand-alone workshops on teaching with writing.
The opportunities are summarized in the table below. Please visit the Workshops and Learning Communities page to learn more about these opportunities.
| Unit | WAC Committee | WAC Program |
| Support Available | Consultations with Committee Representative Q&A Sessions on WI Outcomes | FLC on WI Course Design Stand-alone Workshops Online Guide to WI Outcomes Consultations with Program Staff |
Following the Implementation Review, the Committee will conduct regular Recertification Reviews of WI courses. These reviews serve to provide feedback to units and to ensure that all WI courses are maintaining alignment with the Writing-intensive course criteria and outcomes. This review will begin no sooner than two years following the close of the Implementation Review and will follow the 4-year cycle below:
| Semester | Year 1 Semester 1 | Year 1 Semester 2 | Year 2 Semester 1 | Year 2 Semester 2 | Year 3 & Year 4 |
| Colleges | CEHD; CHSS (½) | CHSS (2/2); CHHS; Carter; Schar | CVPA; CEC | COS; SBUS | No review |
The Committee will notify academic units of their upcoming review at the beginning of the semester prior to the review semester. All requested materials must be submitted to the Committee by the first day of the review semester.
The Committee will share the results of the review with academic units no later than the start of the semester following the review semester. At this time, the Committee will also inform academic units about any changes or revisions requested. Academic units will have until the start of the semester following their notification to address any requested revisions and submit them to the Committee for a final review. In the event that revisions submitted by an academic unit are not recertified by the Committee, the WI designation will be removed from the course; this loss of designation will be applied to the semester immediately following notification of re-review.