This past summer, the University of Iowa built on its longstanding tradition as “The Writing University” with the announcement of a new Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC) pilot program. Launching in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of History, the initiative brings faculty together to develop individualized, department-specific plans to support student writing and adapt to a changing technological landscape.
Both departments are excited by the program’s potential. “Anthropology, the study of people and appreciation for human culture, requires analysis, reflection, deep thought, and consideration. Writing is a means of doing all that,” said Matthew Hill, Undergraduate Director of the Anthropology Department and its WEC liaison.
The program’s foundational belief—that the ability to write and communicate is essential to all students’ success, regardless of major—is not a new idea. An educational movement called “writing across the curriculum,” which focuses on increasing writing opportunities in courses unrelated to English studies, can be traced back all the way to the 1870s. In the mid-2000s, the University of Minnesota transformed this philosophy into a model that emphasizes faculty leadership and sustainable growth. They named their model the Writing Enriched Curriculum.
"We write to learn; writing is essential to developing the strong critical thinking skills that students need for their future careers.”
-Deirdre Egan, Associate Director of the Writing Center
The University of Iowa’s Writing Center began exploring this model six years ago to address a common challenge in academia. “There are loads of options at Iowa for students who are interested in writing to take courses,” explained Deirdre Egan, Associate Director of the Writing Center. “But for students who don’t think of themselves as writers, it’s not all that difficult for them to miss out on opportunities to develop and strengthen their writing and communication skills. We write to learn; writing is essential to developing the strong critical thinking skills that students need for their future careers.”
The rise of AI generated a new sense of urgency for this project. A committee—including Egan, faculty from Rhetoric and English, and three members of the Provost’s Office—spent a year studying the impact of AI on approaches to teaching writing in Rhetoric courses. That research led to the development of the “I3” (Independent, Informed, Integrated) framework, which focuses on independent, informed, and integrated AI use.
“First, students need to develop skills independently, without any assistance from AI. Secondly, they need to be informed about AI. What are the implications for their fields, for their careers, for their futures? And finally, in some disciplines, they maybe need to have some AI tools integrated into their education,” Egan said.
By pairing this unique AI framework with Minnesota’s established model of integrating writing across the curriculum, the University of Iowa has created a dynamic WEC pilot designed to meet the distinct demands of individual academic fields. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all requirement, each participating department crafts a strategy tailored to its discipline.
“Historical writing, historical thinking, teaches you about the evaluation of sources and evidence.”
- Elizabeth Yale
“What makes for an effective paper or essay or other piece of persuasive writing in history is very different from what you might write for a scientific paper,” said Elizabeth Yale, Undergraduate Director of the History Department and its WEC liaison. The same is true for AI, as each discipline faces unique challenges.
“Historical writing, historical thinking, teaches you about the evaluation of sources and evidence,” said Yale. “I think that’s one of the things we’re keen to emphasize in our teaching because, especially with ChatGPT, AI isn't built to reveal its sources or accurately cite evidence.”
This type of flexibility is central to the program’s design. Egan explained that “the faculty and the departments really have ownership of the process, and the WEC team is there as support. The faculty are the experts in the type of writing that is necessary in their discipline.”
The WEC team was formed in collaboration with UI’s Excellence in Teaching and Learning SPARC Work Group. It includes Daniel Khalastchi and Danielle Wheeler from the Office of Writing and Communication; Writing Center Director Carol Severino; WEC Fellows Egan, Krista Osdachuk, and Elizabeth Crawford; and external consultant Pamela Flash, founding director of Minnesota’s WEC program, who first introduced the model to UI administration in 2021.
“[Pamela is] great, especially when you get to the granular level of whether we should have this question or that question in a survey, or the best kinds of writing samples to look at,” Egan said.
The first step of the pilot is collecting data. Anonymous surveys have been sent to students in each department, asking how they regard writing in their major and the impact of AI on their education. Professors are surveyed about writing in the field and review syllabi and deidentified samples of student writing to analyze the way writing is being taught across the department. That data will form the basis of a discussion of writing in the department’s first WEC-specific faculty meeting in October.
“I think that working with our students—talking about our goals, their goals, and generally understanding their perspective—will be fun and interesting. As anthropologists, we're going to want to talk to real human beings and get their experiences.”
-Matthew Hill, Undergraduate Director of the Anthropology Department
Filling out the survey gives students an opportunity to make their voice heard and influence each department’s WEC plan. Hill joked that he has been telling students, “Please, please fill out your questionnaire. Please. No, really, please fill it out!”
Hill also plans to expand student involvement in the program. “I think that working with our students—talking about our goals, their goals, and generally understanding their perspective—will be fun and interesting. As anthropologists, we're going to want to talk to real human beings and get their experiences.”
Over the coming academic year, Anthropology and History will use their findings to create customized WEC plans. Each department will reassess its plan every three years to evaluate progress, reconsider strategies, and update goals.
The University of Iowa hopes to follow in Minnesota’s footsteps and create a WEC model that expands to additional departments and colleges. At the end of pilot, the Office of Writing and Communication will consider hiring a full-time director to oversee the program into the future.