Writing & Learning

Contact

Bryan Kopp
Writing Programs Coordinator and
Assistant Professor of English

426G Carl Wimberly Hall
608.785.6939

Overview

Over the past 25 years UW-La Crosse has established a reputation as a writing-intensive university, adopting a systematic approach to developing student writing and learning. Not only do UW-L students write more than their counterparts at peer institutions, but many instructors design and teach writing-intensive courses and programs (read a brief history of Writing at UW-L). Beyond first-year composition, students are required to take two writing emphasis courses or complete a writing-in-the-major program before they graduate.

As a teaching tool, writing assignments provide rich information about the degree to which students are achieving course and program goals, information that may be used for assessment as well as teaching improvement. As a learning tool, writing provides opportunities for students to

  • understand key concepts and ideas
  • engage with the subject matter
  • communicate with different audiences or communities
  • use the language of the discipline
  • process and retain information
  • collaborate with peers
  • construct knowledge in discipline-appropriate ways
  • practice research, scholarship, and creative activity
  • reflect on personal experience
  • develop professional identity and expertise
  • publish or document work
  • articulate prior knowledge and/or misconceptions

Writing intersects with many teaching and learning goals, but the development of writing abilities is also an end in itself. When students write in college, they develop literacy skills such as those listed in the WPA Outcomes Statement, including rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, reading, and writing; composing processes; knowledge of conventions; composing in electronic environments.

Teaching & Learning Goals

Provide resources, opportunities, and consultation services for instructors seeking to

  • promote student learning through writing
  • improve student writing abilities beyond the first year
  • integrate writing into courses and programs
  • create or refine writing assignments (including prompts, guidelines, and assessment rubrics)
  • explore options for responding to and evaluating student writing
  • gain Writing Emphasis certification
  • develop or sustain a Writing-in-the-Major program

Teaching & Learning Activities

  • Writing & Learning—a campus-wide initiative to improve student writing and student learning through writing. This effort provides opportunities and resources to support writing in the disciplines and across the curriculum.
  • Writing Assignments—a collection of instructional resources for teachers across the disciplines, including those who teach writing emphasis courses and those who work in writing-in-the-major programs.
  • Writing Emphasis—a course-based effort to improve student writing and learning.
  • Writing in the Major—a program-based effort to improve student writing and learning.