Identifying faculty needs for writing across the curriculum at two-year colleges

Abstract

Writing proficiency has become a common student learning outcome at all types of higher education institutions across the United States. However, despite the consistent popularity of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) over the last few decades, most two-year institutions still have no formalized WAC program or training, and programs that are created tend not to last. Faculty resistance to WAC is often recognized as a major impediment to the development and persistence of such programs. To better understand how institutions can mitigate the causes of this resistance, this Delphi study surveyed 18 full-time faculty members from a variety of disciplines at two-year institutions in Oklahoma. The participants came to consensus about the relative importance of 29 policies and practices that could encourage faculty to embrace WAC in their courses, and 16 policies and practices that could help faculty incorporate WAC in their courses. Their responses indicate that faculty want their institutions, divisions, and departments to prioritize writing and writing assessment both as a topic of discussion and as a matter of policy, to make time and space for faculty to develop and share writing assignments and grading rubrics, to be thoughtful of student needs and incentives around writing, and to set and enforce minimal standards for writing competency before students can enter their degree program. Though they desire strong institutional support, they also value faculty-led decisions within each discipline, consistent with a collegial organizational model.