Get WE certified
A page within Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning (CATL)
Once an instructor is approved by the following procedure, they may elect to teach any course in a writing emphasis mode without further approval.
- Contact CATL Fellow - Writing. Indicate your interest in writing emphasis certification in an email message to Chris McCracken.
- Complete a WE training. Instructors are required to complete a Canvas-embedded training on designing, implementing, and evaluating writing assignments in the classroom. Instructors will then meet with the CATL Writing Programs Coordinator as a follow-up to the Canvas training. (Instructors who have substantial training/background in college-level writing instruction may be exempted from this requirement.)
- Complete an approval form. Send a completed approval form to Chris McCracken for review by members of the Writing Programs Advisory Board and/or other approved WE instructors. Instructors may need to revise and resubmit approval forms before proceeding. (Note: Instructors may request provisional WE approval status the semester they are preparing their WE approval forms. Provisional status enables instructors to teach WE courses immediately but typically only for one semester.)
- Gain final approval. The CATL Fellow - Writing submits recommendations to Records and Registration and then adds names to the official list of approved WE instructors (see next tab).
Review Criteria for Approval Forms
Reviewers will use the following criteria for evaluating WE approval forms.
I. Integration of Informal Writing (Writing-to-Learn)
"Writing to Learn" refers to brief assignments or activities, in or out of class, in which students use writing as a learning tool to improve their understanding of course materials, concepts, or topics. Such informal writing is often completed in the moment, with little or no revision or editing.
Course reviewers submit comments on writing emphasis approval forms, indicating that they Agree, Disagree, or are Not Sure about course for review meets the following writing emphasis attributes:
- Teacher describes specific types.
- Students write at least 40 pages.
- Assignments linked with course goals.
- Students practice regularly.
- Teacher manages workload.
- Teacher clarifies guidelines for evaluating student work.
Reviewers then add comments about the integration of informal writing in the course up for WE certification.
II. Integration of Formal Writing
These assignments require students to work through a composing process, including drafting and revising, to produce a text that follows discipline-appropriate conventions related to format, style, documentation, etc. Students typically receive feedback and guidance related to explicit criteria.
Again, course reviewers submit comments on writing emphasis approval forms, indicating that they Agree, Disagree, or are Not Sure if the course for review meets the following writing emphasis attributes:
- Teacher describes specific types.
- Students write 10 or more pages.
- Teacher indicates audience(s) to be addressed.
- Teacher specifies stylistic conventions to be followed.
- Students are provided with models or examples.
- Students receive feedback.
- Teacher clarifies guidelines for evaluating student work.
Reviewers then add comments about the integration of formal writing in the course up for WE certification.
III. Sample Course Materials
Course reviewers submit comments on writing emphasis approval forms, indicating that they Agree, Disagree, or are Not Sure if the course for review meets the following writing emphasis attributes:
- Teacher includes portions of a syllabus or handouts related to the writing component of the course.
- Teacher provides guidelines for a sample formal writing assignment.
IV. Overall Recommendation
Finally, reviewers then add comments about their Overall Recommendation if the course meets the criteria to become a Writing Emphasis-certified course, and indicate whether they recommend for approval or recommend the course be revised and resubmitted if the course is not yet ready to meet the criteria of a writing-emphasis certified course.
Recommended Submission Dates
Approval forms should be submitted at least one semester prior to teaching writing emphasis courses. To ensure adequate time for review and revision, approval forms should be ideally submitted near the beginning of the preceding semester and no later than mid-term.
Certified Writing Emphasis Instructors
Please send corrections to Chris McCracken, CATL Fellow - Writing.
Current WE Instructors
Accountancy
none
Art
Jennifer Williams
Biology
Keith Beyer
Scott Cooper
Rick Gillis
Chemistry
Keith Beyer
Janet Kirsch
Adrienne Loh
Aric Opdahl
Bernadette Taylor
Todd Weaver
Clinical Science
Carol McCoy
Amy Pelikan
Timothy Uphoff
Computer Science
Kenny Hunt
Kasilingam Periyasamy
Economics
Nabamita Dutta
Marissa Eckrote-Nordland
Lisa Giddings
Mary Hamman
Michael Haupert
Adam Hoffer
James Murray
Sheida Babakhani Teimouri
Cody Vaughn
Educational Studies
James Carlson
English
Bradley Butterfield
Matt Cashion
Susan Crutchfield
Virginia Crank
Rebekah Fowler
Ryan Friesen
Bryan Kopp
Haixia Lan
Stephen Mann
Christopher McCracken
Marie Moeller
Lindsay Steiner
William Stobb
Kelly Sultzbach
Darci Thoune
Robert Wilkie
Louise Zamparutti
Exercise and Sport Science
Rich Mikat
Brian Udermann
Chia-Chen Yu
Finance
Nilakshi Borah
Adam Stivers
Diana Tempski
Geography and Earth Science
Colin Belby
Cynthia Berlin
Joan Bunbury
Gargi Chaudhuri
John Kelly
Niti Mishra
Daniel Sambu
Health Education and Promotion
Dan Duquette
Gary Gilmore
History
Ariel Beaujot
Mark Chavalas
John Grider
Penelope Hardy
Gerald Iguchi
James Longhurst
Victor Macias-Gonzalez
Gita Pai
Patricia Stovey
Tiffany Trimmer
Jennifer Trost
Information Systems
Ye Han
Peter Haried
Management
Christine Ascencio
Uzay Damali
Brad Dobbs
Randika Eramudugoda
Nicole Gullekson
Christa Kiersch
Anup Nandialath
Kelly Nowicki
Scott Reber
William Ross
Marketing
Gwen Achenreiner
Elizabeth Crosby
Kenneth Graham
Maggie McDermott
Nese Nasif
Linda Sherony
Stacy Trisler
Dan Wallace
Mathematics
Susan Kelly
Jennifer Kosiak
Microbiology
Bonnie Bratina
Marc Rott
Bernadette Taylor
Music
Jonathan Borja
Mary Tollefson
Philosophy
Samuel Cocks
Sheryl Tuttle Ross
Physics
Eric Barnes
Eric Gansen
Seth King
Shelly Lesher
T.A.K. Pillai
Shauna Sallmen
Gubbi Sudhakaran
Steven Verrall
Lyndon Zink
Political Science and Public Administration
Alan Bigel
Psychology
Melanie Cary
Betsy Morgan
Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Terry Glenn Lilley
Current Writing Emphasis Course Offerings
Course offerings vary from semester to semester. To find available Writing Emphasis courses, please go to UWL's Course Timetable and take the following steps:
- Select Term
- Select Course Career: Undergraduate
- Select the Requirement Designation category.
- Choose Writing Emphasis from the pull-down.
- Click the Search button to list current or future Writing Emphasis-certified courses.
WE-Timetable-Search