The Inquiry Core Curriculum

Writing & Speaking Across the Curriculum

The Inquiry Core Curriculum makes several changes to how Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) and Speaking Across the Curriculum (SPAC) courses fit into a student’s overall program requirements. In addition, in Fall 2022, Faculty Senate approved changes to the WAC policy. These changes are now reflected in the WAC criteria sheet available on the GenEd08 website.

Writing progression from foundational composition courses to inquiry core courses to WAC/SPAC courses

See below for a more in-depth description of writing tasks can be scaffolded across a student’s university career

WAC & SPAC in the new Inquiry Core Curriculum

The new Inquiry Core Curriculum aims to better support students in the development of their communication skills. To do this, several changes were made to how WAC/SPAC fits into program requirements at Cleveland State:

  • WAC/SPAC courses are distinct from Inquiry Core Courses. A course cannot be approved in both categories. While WAC/SPAC courses can still be offered at any level, the aim of this change is to encourage scaffolding of student writing and speaking development: From initial composition courses, through core curricular courses that include writing and/or oral communication as core competencies, and then to WAC/SPAC courses.
    • For any course in your program that is currently approved for both GenEd08 and WAC/SPAC, you will need to decide whether to:
      • submit it for inclusion in the Inquiry Core
      • update its WAC status (SPAC status does not need to be updated)
      • remove it from inclusion in either program.
    • Curriculog will reflect this change by having distinct proposal forms for WAC/SPAC courses and for Inquiry Core Curriculum courses.
  • Students are required to complete two WAC/SPAC courses. This is a change from the current policy of three courses. The reduction reflects the greater inclusion of written and oral communication in the core curriculum. Students may either complete two WAC courses, or one WAC and one SPAC course to fulfill their requirements.
  • At least one WAC/SPAC course must be in the major program of study and not a program capstone. This is a change from the currently policy, which still mandates one WAC/SPAC course in the major program of study but permits it to be a capstone course. Although programs are no longer required to have capstones, the intent of this change is to ensure students are gaining knowledge of how to communicate in their discipline before being assessed on their ability to do so.
    • Similar programs of study may share their “in major” WAC/SPAC course if there are no important disciplinary differences.

Writing Across the Curriculum Course Requirements

In the Fall of 2022, Faculty Senate approved changes to the WAC course requirements proposed by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Writing Across the Curriculum. As part of those changes, courses were to be re-evaluated for WAC status for AY 2023-2024. Because of the formation of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Core Curriculum and its potential effects on WAC/SPAC, this transition period was delayed. All WAC courses will need to be re-evaluated to continue to be offered as WAC courses starting AY 2025-2026, in line with the rollout of the Inquiry Core Curriculum.

The updated WAC criteria sheet is now available, and faculty may immediately begin submitting revised courses for approval under the new guidelines. These courses will follow the standard Curriculog routing process, but faculty are encouraged to work with the Director of Core Curriculum and/or Director of the Writing Center in revising and completing the criteria sheet.

Writing Across the Curriculum Requirements

A course approved for the WAC requirement must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Assign writing throughout the semester.
  2. Require students to write between 3,000 words and 5,000 words (approximately 10 to 20 pages) over the course of the semester.
  3. Teach students writing-to-learn strategies that foster students’ experiences in learning and writing-to-communicate strategies that foster students’ respect of readers’ experiences. Include planning assignments (e.g., reading logs, pre-writing strategies) and peer reviews whenever possible.
  4. Provide instruction in discipline-appropriate forms of texts, arguments, evidence, style, audience, and citation.
  5. Engage students in writing as a process and provide opportunities for students to improve their writing over the course of the semester. This can take different forms including scaffolded assignments, drafts and revisions, and multiple iterations of the same type of assignment (such as a lab report).
  6. Provide students with extensive feedback on their writing and expect students to use that feedback to improve their writing in subsequent assignments. This feedback should not consist entirely of mechanical correction of punctuation and grammar. Doing so should be part of the assessment (grading) of the assignments.
  7. Teach information literacy in a discipline appropriate context. This includes instruction and assignments that support student development in accessing and evaluating discipline-appropriate research materials and integrating them into their own work. Instructors are encouraged to collaborate with librarians on this aspect of their courses and to consult the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education.
  8. Assign writing in English except for 300 and 400-level courses that are specifically geared at improving writing in another language.

Additional criteria

  1. In order to receive a C or better in the course, students must write at a satisfactory skill level (C or better). If the student’s writing is weak, but shows understanding of the course material, the student may be assigned a D, in which case WAC credit will not be received for the course.
  2. Maximum enrollment for this course is 35 or 45 with a graduate assistant.

Speaking Across the Curriculum Requirements

No changes have been made to the SPAC requirements by either the Ad-Hoc Committee on WAC or the Ad-Hoc Committee on Core Curriculum. The only change forthcoming for SPAC courses is the elimination of any overlap between SPAC and Core Curriculum courses. That will occur in the following ways:

  • If a GenEd08/SPAC course is proposed and approved for inclusion in the Inquiry Core Curriculum, it will automatically lose its WAC status.
  • If a GenEd08/SPAC course is not proposed for inclusion in the Inquiry Core Curriculum, it will automatically maintain its SPAC status.

Access the SPAC Criteria Sheet.

Speaking Across the Curriculum Requirements

A course approved for the SPAC requirement must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Require students to make more than one formal presentation.2
  2. Provide students with formal guidance in formal oral presentation; e.g. provide rubrics, instruction, etc.
  3. Provide students with feedback on oral presentations which can be incorporated into subsequent presentations in the course. This can be done through videotaping and critiquing presentations, providing feedback on early assignments and evaluating improvement over time, and/or using a rehearsal/final performance approach.
  4. Be limited in size to 35 students or 45 with a graduate assistant.
  5. State clearly on the syllabus that students must earn at least a grade of C to earn SPAC credit.

Submitting a WAC/SPAC Course

In general, the process for submitting a course for WAC/SPAC approval has not changed. However, when doing so, do note that there are now two WAC/SPAC specific forms in Curriculog. You should not use the Inquiry Core Curriculum forms for WAC/SPAC courses. Instead, use either:

  • 25-26 UGRD New WAC/SPAC Course (for a course not currently in CSU’s catalog)
  • 25-26 UGRD Course Modification (adding/editing WAC/SPAC content) (for a course currently in CSU’s catalog)

Writing Development and Scaffolding

This matrix was designed by Mary McDonald, Writing Center Director, and modified by Emilie Zickel, English Department and Lecturer in First-Year Writing.

  How Students Entering First-Year of college perceive Writing Writing Composition courses Core Curriculum Courses with Written Communication Competency WAC
Most Important Aspect of Writing Summary and personal response Responding to the writing context with appropriate content, structure, and style Apply strategies for focus, structure and idea development learned in FYW Disciplinary way of presenting argument
What Writing Is Perception that writing is style Introduction to writing as context- and audience-driven Continued development of the concept of writing as context and audience-driven

 

 Writing as discipline-specific thinking, audience-driven, formal style
Genre experience Perhaps some argument and summary; often personal response Introduction to summary, rhetorical analysis, argument, and synthesis Introduction to discipline-specific genres Genre determined by discipline
Intended Audience Writing is creativity (writer-centered) Introduction to general academic audience expectations (style, format, content) Introduction to discipline-specific academic audience

 

 Multiple audiences
Drafting First draft is often the only draft Goal of several drafts before submission. In-class assignment planning and discussion. Examination of model essays. Continued emphasis on writing as a process of several drafts. In-class assignment planning and discussion. Examination of model essays.

 

 Model essays provided to students
Feedback Often grammar-focused or little feedback Peer and instructor feedback focused on structure, content, and style. Feedback provided on drafts and final versions.

Writing Center attendance encouraged

 Continued emphasis on peer and/or instructor feedback prior to final draft submission. Writing Center attendance encouraged

 

 Peer review on drafts. Revision-oriented final draft feedback.

Writing Center attendance encouraged
Revision Tendency not to revise – first draft is the only draft Emphasis on revision based on peer review, instructor feedback, and/or Writing Center engagement. Final drafts of essays can be revised for a higher grade. Students should be encouraged to use the Writing Center as part of their revision process. At least one final essay should be revised for a higher grade. Emphasis on revision using expert advice.
 Citation Unfamiliarity citation rules In-class instruction on MLA style in-text citation, paraphrase, attribution. Some exposure to APA. Students should be provided resources for formatting Grammar, style, disciplinary style sheet (e.g., APA, AMA)
Grammar Students have a range of familiarity with grammar rules Grammar instruction is not the focus of FYW; students are individually directed to grammar resources and in-class grammar lessons occur as needed. Writing Center support for grammar revision Students should be encouraged to visit the Writing Center as needed Students should be encouraged to visit the Writing Center as needed

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CSU Core Curriculum Handbook by Core Curriculum Committee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.