Writing Matters

The Writing Matters Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) state that by the end of their degree programs, Embry-Riddle students will be able to:

1. Describe how a composing process shaped a rhetorically responsive communication.
2. Create rhetorically responsive content.
3. Deliver content in a way that is rhetorically responsive.

In participating courses at three phases of their degree programs, students will tailor written communication in response to specific audiences, purposes and contexts. After learning rhetorical concepts in general education courses, they will write for discipline- and/or industry-specific audiences and purposes in at least two courses in their major. They will submit a major writing assignment, along with a reflection, to an ePortfolio for pedagogical and assessment purposes. This approach will provide scaffolded writing support that fosters an increasingly nuanced understanding of writing-related concepts upon which students can draw across and beyond their degree programs.

This glossary defines important terms from the Writing Matters Student Learning Outcomes.

Communication: A message in any form, such as written, audio, digital and/or visual.

Composing Process: Steps taken to create a communication. Composing processes are often recursive, meaning that the writer returns to a given step multiple times throughout the process. Steps in the composing process may include, but are not limited to, pre-writing, researching, drafting, collaborating, revising and editing using available technologies.

Content: The information presented in the communication. This may include, but is not limited to, research questions, sources of information, level of detail, analysis, calculations and conclusions.

Delivery: The way information is presented. This may include, but is not limited to, organization, format, document design, citation style, tone, voice (active or passive) and sentence structure.

Rhetorical Concepts: The set of circumstances that necessitate a communication and shape what the communication should communicate and how the message should be communicated. Relevant rhetorical concepts include the following:

• Audience: The person or group of people for whom the communication is intended.
• Purpose: The reason for communicating the message to the audience.
• Context: The situation surrounding the communication. This can include physical, social, cultural, political and/or economic factors that impact how the communication is composed, delivered, received and/or interpreted. In academic and professional writing, disciplinary and professional communities surrounding the communication are important aspects of context because conventions for communication within these settings emerge from those communities.
• Genre: Type of communication characterized by specific conventions. Examples of genres include memos, grant proposals, lab reports, persuasive essays and product reviews.
• Conventions: The AAC&U Written Communication VALUE Rubric defines conventions as “formal and informal rules” that guide expectations for what is appropriate in a communication. These may include:
• Genre conventions, which “guide formatting, organization and stylistic choices” for a particular genre. (AAC&U)
• Disciplinary conventions, which guide “what is seen generally as appropriate within different academic fields, e.g., introductory strategies, use of passive voice or first person point of view, expectations for thesis or hypothesis, expectations for kinds of evidence and support that are appropriate to the task at hand, use of primary and secondary sources to provide evidence and support arguments, and to document critical perspectives on the topic.” (AAC&U)
• Industry-specific conventions, which guide what is seen as appropriate for content and delivery in communications produced and consumed within specific professional industries. Genre conventions and disciplinary or industry-specific conventions often intersect to shape expectations for a communication. For example, although persuasive essays written in different disciplines may share some genre conventions, disciplinary conventions for that genre may vary greatly from one discipline to the next. As a result, an effective persuasive essay in literature will probably look very different from an effective persuasive essay in psychology.
• Medium: The technology used to deliver the message, such as paper, webpage, video or audio file.

Rhetorically Responsive: Tailored appropriately in response to relevant rhetorical concepts.

To ensure proper support of students’ work toward the learning outcomes, we identified three Writing Matters institutional outcomes. Upon the full integration of the QEP, Embry-Riddle will boast an intentional culture for writing proficiency, including:

1. Implementing high quality, rigorous, and innovative educational experiences that expand written communication skills beyond general education courses;
2. Enriching dynamic, integrated, and well-utilized academic support structures; and
3. Expanding quality faculty development to support enhanced communications curricula.

To achieve the institutional outcomes, Writing Matters will provide faculty development opportunities focused on writing pedagogy. The QEP kicks off with a faculty development training program designed to introduce key concepts and guide faculty through a writing assessment, which they will collaborate with department colleagues to complete.  Additional faculty development will be provided throughout the QEP cycle according to need demonstrated through assessment and faculty feedback. After the writing assessment, at least one unit per department will be expected to develop and implement a writing instruction plan. Academic support outside the classroom, and particularly writing tutoring, will be enhanced to support faculty and students. Embry-Riddle will provide support for the QEP as approved by Embry-Riddle leadership and as determined through its established business planning and budget process. 

Determine how entities like libraries and tutoring services can support the Writing Matters QEP.

Develop and promote a plan to assess the Writing Matters Student Learning Outcomes.

Develop and promote a plan to integrate writing projects into content courses.

Develop and promote a plan for ePortfolios that showcase student writing.

Ensure that Writing Matters is equitable for diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff.

Plan and promote events, including guest lectures and awards ceremonies.

Develop training modules and workshops on writing for faculty across disciplines.