NSU's Quality Enhancement Plan April 2017

NSU QEP Literature Review | 15 community or shifts language for a different purpose and audience” (p. 286). Writing to Communicate exercises include formal academic papers, research essays, lab reports, business reports, etc. Practice using the discipline-specific discourse is important for students, because “even though students read disciplinary texts and learn course material, until they practice the language use of the discipline through writing, they are less likely to learn that language thoroughly” (The WAC Clearinghouse, “Why Assign WID Tasks?”). Faculty members should be aware of activities that lead to WAC and WID outcomes and incorporate them into course-based assignments when appropriate. Much of WAC/WID practice is at the undergraduate level, but it is not necessarily connected to first-year composition. Rather, it focuses on writing in upper-level courses, particularly in the majors. Though writing support for graduate students has long been absent from WAC/WID literature and practice, WID initiatives have become increasingly popular at the graduate level. According to Brooks-Gillies, Garcia, Kim, Manthey, and Smith (2015), “at the graduate level, writing is the dominant way in which knowledge is presented and assessed. This happens through coursework, comprehensive exams, theses and dissertations, conference presentations, and publications” (“Graduate Writing Across the Disciplines, Introduction”). Despite this wide range of genres, the researchers suggest that universities pay too little attention to teaching graduate students how to write effectively, either through classroom instruction or support services. Writing Fellows and Classroom-Based Tutoring Programs Writing centers commonly carry out WAC/WID initiatives in two ways: (a) through writing fellows programs, and (b) through classroom-based tutoring programs. While similar, these models offer some different methods for reaching students where they write. The first writing fellows program was started at Brown University in the early 1980s. Programs have since been established at hundreds of institutions across the country. Writing fellows are course-embedded writing assistants who provide additional writing support to students; the support can occur in and/or out of class, though the latter model is more prevalent. Writing fellows are typically undergraduate or graduate students trained in writing center pedagogy who also have experience with the discipline-specific writing conventions they help students practice and learn. While program models vary from institution to institution, most have several common traits. Typically, writing fellows • are connected to courses that involve a significant amount of writing • work closely with faculty members teaching said course to develop an understanding of course and assignment goals and objectives • provide writing assistance, written and/or oral, to students outside of class Similar to writing fellows programs, classroom-based tutoring programs connect a writing tutor to a specific course, and the tutor works closely with the faculty members and students. The key difference is that classroom-based tutors visit class meetings, which allows them to work with students during workshop times. Spigelman and Grobman (2005) stated that “classroom-based writing tutors facilitate peer writing groups, present programs, conference during classroom workshops, help teachers to design and carry out assignments, and much more” (p. 1). A growing number of writing centers have