91ºÚÁÏÍø Writing Intensive Courses
Writing Intensive Course Proposals
Proposals for Writing Intensive Courses rely on , are submitted via and include the following questions specific to WI courses:
- Briefly explain how your course emphasizes and teaches writing as a recursive process that includes activities such as invention strategies, prewriting, analytical reading and re-reading, reflective assignments, submission of one or more preliminary drafts for instructor response, peer response, revision of content, form, mechanics, and style, leading to a final draft.
- Briefly explain how much class time is devoted to and the types of activities used for helping students complete writing assignments. Activities might include discussion of assignments and evaluation criteria; analysis and discussion of sample student papers; and instruction about how to write a particular kind of paper or solve a common writing problem.
- Briefly explain how much writing students will do in this course. Each WI course must require 5,000-10,000 words (approximately 20-40 double-spaced pages) of revised, final-draft quality writing. Ideally, the course will require an essay or research paper of at least 2,000 words (approximately eight double-spaced pages).
Faculty or staff requiring access to CourseLeaf should send their request to umkcatalog@umkc.edu.
Teaching Writing and Reading Resources
UWRB Workshops
CAFE/UWRB session, “”: Large Language Models and AI Literacy, from 3 March 2023
CAFE/UWRB session, “: A Multidisciplinary Discussion,” from 29 October 2021
UWRB Workshop, “,” from 9 April 2021
Responding to Student Writing
Dr. Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger's PowerPoint slides and handouts from her session at the CAFE Conference on May 18, 2022:
The 91ºÚÁÏÍø Writing Studio
The 91ºÚÁÏÍø Writing Studio helps undergraduate and graduate students at any stage of their writing projects at no charge. 91ºÚÁÏÍø faculty can schedule workshops for their classes on topics ranging from the writing process to using electronic sources to developing arguments.
91ºÚÁÏÍø faculty can schedule workshops for their classes on topics ranging from the writing process to using electronic sources to developing arguments.
91ºÚÁÏÍø Writing Studio Resources include concise handouts for students on topics such as integrating sources, using commas correctly, and editing concerns.
Writing Resources
provides APA, MLA, and Chicago style guides and useful writing guides.
The (WAC) Clearinghouse is an open-access educational website that provides pedagogical resources.
The Learning Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shares its guides to helping students learn to read carefully and critically:
Inclusion Guidelines
K-university teacher-researchers belonging to the have a of advocating for social justice and antiracism matters being included in curriculum decisions and teaching practices. Position statements and research briefs such as (1974), (2005), (2018), and (2018) paved the way for recent statements responding to our students’ and neighbors’ voices in our classrooms, in our legislative spaces, and in our streets: (2020) and T (2020). These resources provide guidance about how teachers, departments, and educational institutions can engage with matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion in systematic and actionable ways.
Additional Resources
- (ebook, 2015)
- (Syracuse University Writing Across the Curriculum Program handouts, 2018)
Undergraduate Journals
91ºÚÁÏÍø faculty can find good models of undergraduate writing in two 91ºÚÁÏÍø student journals and motivate their students to write well by encouraging them to submit their work to these publications:
- , the 91ºÚÁÏÍø undergraduate research journal, is open to students in all departments and programs.
- publishes essays produced for composition and writing intensive classes
91ºÚÁÏÍø Undergraduate Research
91ºÚÁÏÍø Undergraduate Research provides undergraduate research opportunities, grants, and other resources.
Recommended Texts
The UWRB recommends these texts for faculty and students:
- Ball, Cheryl E., and Drew M. Loewe, eds. Bad Ideas about Writing. West Virginia U Libraries, 2017,
About the University Writing and Reading Board (UWRB)
UWRB is located under the Office of the Provost, meets monthly (or as needed) and consists of individuals committed to the improvement of the critical reading and writing skills of 91ºÚÁÏÍø students, the teaching of writing and 91ºÚÁÏÍø’s writing culture.
History
The Campus Writing Board (CWB) existed in the College of Arts and Sciences for many years as a subcommittee of the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee with appointments made by the dean. The director of writing across the curriculum was the founding chair, and the CWB included faculty members representing Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences. At its December 5, 2011, meeting, the CWB became a university-wide board located under the Office of the Provost and changed its name to the University Writing and Reading Board. The UWRB created and supervised the launch of the RooWriter Writing Assessment in September 2013 and advised the RooWriter Coordinator until the RooWriter was discontinued in Summer 2020.
UWRB Members
Antonio Byrd, Department of English
Crystal Doss, Department of English
Thomas Ferrel, URWB Co-Chair; ASM, Writing Studio,
Roland Hemmings, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs
Marcus Meade, Graduate Writing Specialist in Writing Studio and School of Graduate Studies
Steven Melling, Department of Communication and Journalism
Alexis Petri, Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence and School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences
Alice Reckley, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
Aaron Reed, Department of Science and Engineering
Courtney Strimel UWRB Co-Chair, 91ºÚÁÏÍø University Libraries
UWRB Steering Committee
Antonio Byrd
Thomas Ferrel
Marcus Mead
Alexis Petri
Courtney Strimel
Membership
The board sends invitations to join, reviews any requests to join and elects its own chair(s). Personal communication and dialogue are key components of UWRB recruitment efforts. The UWRB includes the following ex-officio members: Director of Composition and Director of the Writing Studio. All members of the UWRB are voting members.
Individuals from (though not limited to) the following units may be members of the board or may be non-member consultants to the board: Academic Advising, Composition, University Libraries and the Writing Studio.
The duration of UWRB service terms is open. At the beginning of the Spring semester, board members communicate with the UWRB whether they intend to serve on the UWRB during the next academic year. The UWRB then reviews its membership together and collaboratively decides its recruitment needs to maintain a diverse membership in three senses.
- The UWRB strives to foster an environment of inclusive opportunity and excellence.
- The UWRB strives to have at least one member from each of 91ºÚÁÏÍø’s academic units. The UWRB strives to have at least four to six members representing each of the following general academic areas: (1) Education and Social Sciences, (2) Humanities and Arts and (3) Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Applied Sciences.
- The UWRB seeks representation of faculty teaching writing at the lower- and upper-division undergraduate level, in writing-intensive classes, at the graduate level and within various disciplines.
Board Responsibilities
- Promote reading and writing across the curriculum and support the professional learning of faculty in teaching reading and writing at the undergraduate and graduate level. Professional learning aligns with best practices and is responsive to our assessment data.
- Maintain and update writing-intensive course guidelines, approve WI courses proposed across the campus, and review or help assess such courses as needed or requested, including transfers of similar courses from other institutions.
- Review assessment reports of student reading and written communication, such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), and general education written communication courses.
- Maintain the UWRB website, especially the WI archive, providing reading and writing teaching resources for faculty across campus.