rom an inability to read actively and deeply — and from little practice in processing ideas into clear, organized thoughts and sentences. Whether we like it or not, it falls to us to help them develop an active reading, thinking, and writing process if we want them to succeed in higher education and afterwards. WE courses are designed to address that task.
Two facts supported by pedagogy are particularly pertinent here: 1) to develop an effective writing process, students need to have a chance to try and practice various approaches to find what works for them, an 2) requiring students to craft a writing project in stages can help them to do that.
Writing is thinking; it is often a more productive and thorough type of thinking than that required for an informal class discussion or an oral exchange of ideas. Thus, in WE courses, instructors not only require more writing but design writing projects and integrate writing in ways that allow students to hone their skills over time and across disciplines.
Writing Enriched faculty from a wide variety of disciplines have gathered in workshops, brown bag luncheons, and day-long retreats that we have designed so that they can talk about ways to strengthen students’ understanding of the writing process. They frequently report that they have been energized by the conversations at these events; they feel they are crafting better writing assignments and providing students with more appropriate feedback.
Those who earn a college degree are still expected to be able to think and write clearly. In essence, the WE Write for Success initiative aims to improve students’ power to think and write by helping them learn to organize thoughts and articulate them effectively. Although the ongoing “digital revolution” is profoundly changing society and higher education with it, in its WE Write for Success initiative, Lynchburg College addresses a goal for higher education that has not changed: to improve an individual’s chance of leading an intellectually fulfilling and productive life.
Judy Strang, a writing consultant for Lynchburg College, contributed to this article.