Writing Intensive Courses

Definition: Specifically designated course sections that—in addition to providing the established disciplinary-oriented student outcomes—incorporate approved instructional strategies and course assignments designed to enhance students’ writing ability and writing to learn.

Application: Faculty who teach writing intensive courses are required to complete a pre-service training program.

Writing Intensive Certification: A Brief Introduction
The QCC Writing Intensive (WI) certification program is part of a larger CUNY-wide Writing Across the Curriculum program. Writing Across the Curriculum is a pedagogical movement that values writing as an essential method of learning and seeks to integrate writing instruction across the disciplines and throughout a student’s undergraduate career. In order to benefit from writing instruction, students need opportunities to write and revise in their classes, whatever their major course of study, and to consistently practice writing in different courses and disciplines throughout their undergraduate careers. WI pedagogy focuses on improving students’ reading and writing abilities while using writing to advance course learning objectives. In order to teach WI courses, QCC faculty must become certified in WI pedagogy by completing a semester-long training program.

Faculty Requirements for completing the Writing Intensive Training program:

*Weekly virtual meetings with an assigned CUNY Writing Fellow who will assist you with all stages of the training:

o Your fellow is your go-to resource for helping you to develop a WI course syllabus, rubric, and     assignments as part of your training portfolio. Faculty meet with their assigned graduate student fellow for one hour each week throughout the semester.

*Blackboard discussions and readings:
o As a cohort, faculty read scholarship on writing pedagogy and share responses to the readings on Blackboard throughout the semester. The discussion board is also intended to be a space for brainstorming, raising questions and concerns, and assessing progress with course development.

*Writing Intensive Pedagogy Portfolio
o The Writing Intensive Pedagogy Portfolio includes a cover letter, syllabus, grading rubric, and copies of high-stake and low-stake writing assignments for your proposed Writing Intensive course. Faculty work closely with graduate fellows and program coordinators to develop and revise portfolio materials in stages throughout the semester.

*Monthly group workshops:
o All faculty in the WI cohort meet monthly to discuss progress on their portfolios and course development and brainstorm ideas with one another. Workshops will be held on Zoom in Fall 2022.

Once you have been WI certified, you can teach any course at QCC as a Writing Intensive section as long as it adheres to the guidelines and pedagogy of the WI training program. Certification does not expire.

Faculty Coordinators:
Melissa Dennihy, Department of English: mdennihy@qcc.cuny.edu
Monica Rossi-Miller, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures: mrossimiller@qcc.cuny.edu