Assessment
Teaching Writing for Critical Language Awareness
The resources on this page, inspired by a critical language awareness (CLA) framework, teach students to examine language as a social practice and to reflect on the ideologies and power dynamics embedded within language use. Thank you to the Writing Program’s Curriculum Committee, who worked intensively on these resources in 2022-2024.
Providing Feedback
One of our expectations in the CAS Writing Program is that faculty will provide students with “timely and substantive” feedback on their writing, both on drafts and on final versions of papers/projects. In general, all faculty will meet with students individually at least twice in the semester to discuss their writing in formal writing conferences, scheduled […]
Student Presentations and Strategies for Audience Engagement
WR 111, WR 112, WR 120, and WR 151 all require oral presentations for students and value these opportunities for students to speak to their peers. However, instructors sometimes struggle to sustain engagement on the part of the rest of the class during presentations. The following list provides some strategies to motivate audience members to […]
Cumulative Portfolios in the Writing Program
Since Fall 2023, all WR students create a portfolio in their first WR course and continue to add to it throughout subsequent WR courses. This cumulative portfolio assignment will create a shared experience for WR students, offering them a space to reflect on their growth and their developing identities as college writers and communicators over […]
Sample WR 120 Assignment: Op-ed
Use, or adapt, the following to structure an op-ed (or “guest essay”) assignment as an alternative genre assignment to an academic paper in WR 120 or another class. Objective To analyze one or more model op-eds; to argue effectively for a point or claim in the context of an op-ed, while providing evidence and considering […]
Tech Tips for Offering Feedback to Students
The videos and resources below offer suggestions and tools for providing feedback to your students on their writing. The resources offer suggestions on providing written feedback on student papers on a variety of platforms, as well as providing feedback via screencasting and video. These tips may be useful in remote environments as well as in […]
Anatomy of an Assignment Sheet
In this guide, we invite instructors to think through the different sections of an assignment sheet and perhaps take a fresh look at their own assignment sheets. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find some insights into more effective assignment sheets from Writing Consultants working in the CAS Writing Center. Key Elements Things to […]
Class Participation Rubric
This activity is especially useful for those who grade their students’ class participation. Asking students to collaborate on participation criteria gives them a sense of agency and makes tangible a facet of their final grade which might otherwise seem subjective. Guide to Oral/Signed Communication in Writing Classrooms Objective To reflect on your participation in class […]
Creating an Oral Presentation Rubric
This activity helps students clarify the oral presentation genre; do this after distributing an assignment–in this case, a standard individual oral presentation near the end of the semester which allows students to practice public speaking while also providing a means of workshopping their final paper argument. Together, the class will determine the criteria by which […]