Advanced Writing courses build intentionally upon the skills learned in the Foundation Writing (FW) course,
creating a “stepped” curriculum. AW courses help students learn more advanced, and discipline-specific, writing
skills, as appropriate to the discipline of the course. All students entering Fall 2018 and thereafter must take two
AW courses, in two different disciplines (e.g., “CHEM” and “BIOL”). AW courses provide students with
opportunities to learn d
iscipline-specific genres an
d to revise their writing based on feedback.
Instructor name:
Course # and title:
Does this form apply to all sections of the course? Yes No
Course Basics
1. Is the course 200-level or above and designed for Sophomores and above (i.e. not a course for
Freshmen)?
Yes No
2. Will the syllabus include language from the Bulletin to mark the course as belonging to the writing
curriculum?
Sample syllabus language: This course fulfills one of the two courses required for Advanced Writing credit. AW
courses practice and build on the writing skills learned in Foundation Writing. Specifically, this course will introduce
important discipline-specific writing skills related to expectations for purpose and audience, organization, genre, and
evidence. The course also includes opportunities for students to engage in meaningful revision with feedback from
the instructor and/or peers. Two AW courses from two different disciplines are needed to complete the requirement.
Yes No
4. Will the instructor use consistent vocabulary, as appropriate, about key writing skills and learning
outcomes so as to help students build writing knowledge that can facilitate their transfer of skills among
their writing courses?
Note: The Writing Skills Committee will work with faculty to generate and distribute resources for shared
vocabulary, as appropriate, across FW courses on which AW courses may build.
Yes No
Amount and kind of writing: The genre(s) of writing for AW courses should be appropriate to the
disciplinary and/or context-specific nature of the course, as determined by the instructor. Writing assignments
should be designed in a way that intentionally builds on the skills students gain in a Foundational Writing
course (including purpose and audience, claim/evidence structure, thesis writing, the drafting/revision process,
and appropriate use of sources) in order to help students transition the skills of analytical writing to the specific
genre of the discipline. Please indicate that writing assignments for this AW course adheres to the following
criteria:
5. Will a minimum of 10% of the course grade be based on graded writing assignments completed outside
of class (e.g. not essay exams or other in-class writing and not credit/no credit assignments)?
Yes No
6. Will a minimum of 20% of the value for each writing assignment be based on the quality of the writing as
appropriate to the task?
Note: The Writing Center will provide resources, including advisory rubrics and a list of standard grading
criteria.
Yes No
Advanced Writing (AW) Course Form
Instructions:
• Download this form before completing it. Do not fill out the form in your web browser.
• Using Adobe Acrobat Reader? Complete the form and click 'submit' to automatically generate a return email.
• Using another program (e.g., Preview)? Print the completed form to PDF, and send as an attachment to lstorey@austincollege.edu.
Yes No
3. Will the instructor discuss with students the writing goals of the course, as appropriate?
