Proposing a Writing Intensive Course

The Writing Program is chartered to oversee the development of WI courses, ensure accountability, and to cooperate with the Registrar's Office to publish a list of WI courses. The program is also chartered to cooperate with departments, and to act as a clearinghouse, collecting and keeping WI course syllabi and other documentation. In order for the Writing Program to fulfill these administrative and collaborative charters, and to provide consistency across the WI infrastructure, non-Discovery course designations go through the following process for proposals.

WI course designations are now submitted through the CIM Course Management system.

Deadlines

WI proposals for Non-Discovery Courses should be submitted the semester before the course is desired to be WI-designated in accordance with the following windows:

  • Fall course: Start of the Spring Semester through March 31st.
  • Spring course: Start of the Fall Semester through October 1st. 

Proposals received outside of these timeframes will be processed during the next window.

Faculty have an opportunity to gain a more immersive understanding of what it means to teach a course with writing (including WI courses and non-WI courses) by attending our annual Writing-Invested faculty retreat. 
Applications for the WI Faculty Retreat are due December 1st.
For more information, please contact Meaghan.Dittrich@faroor.com 

Proposing a Writing Intensive Course

Step 1: Prepare Proposal Requirements

  • Review Writing Intensive Course Guidelines
  • Course Syllabus (proposal attachment) - Guidelines
  • Course Learning Outcomes
  • Course Description (new courses) - Guidelines
  • Rationale: (Justification statement for course proposal)  Although a syllabus is an important component of the proposal, it may not explain course methods in detail nor may it be organized to highlight components of interest to the Writing Program. In order to assist us in better understanding  the course, and to allow us to provide better feedback, we ask that the instructor submit a memo to accompany the syllabus. The memo need not be extensive, but it should explain how the course meets each of the three WI guidelines and give a sense of the instructor's  approach to using writing in the course. The bulleted points on the form should provide a reference.

    Writing Program personnel are available to consult and assist faculty on any point of WI course design in support of proposals.  We are a resource for you.  Please contact the Director of the University Writing Programs.

  • Supporting Documentation:  Please attach any other supporting documentation you may have or would like to include, like specific assignments. The syllabus should include the instructor's name, the first semester the course will be offered, course requirements, content, organization, and  required reading and writing assignments. It should also identify the course as WI and briefly describe the features of the course that make it Writing Intensive. 

Step 2: Complete & Submit Proposal in CIM

  • Login to CIM Course Management
  • Select 'Propose New Course' or Search for an existing course to propose adding the Writing Intensive designation.
  • Complete Form
  • Select 'Save Changes' to save/complete later or 'Start Workflow' to submit proposal for approval.
  • Login to CIM Course Management anytime to view proposal progress through workflow.

Step 3: Workflow

The automated approval process in CIM is called the workflow. Once the green Start Workflow Button is clicked, the proposal will begin the approval workflow process. As reviewers in each step approve the proposal it will automatically move to the next step of the workflow and the next reviewer will be notified via an automated email that the proposal is ready for review.

Login to CIM Course Management anytime to view proposal progress through workflow.

Approval Workflow for Courses:

  1. Department Committee Approval (if applicable)
  2. Department Chair Approval
  3. College Curricular Committee Approval
  4. College Dean Approval
  5. If Discovery Course: Discovery Program Approval. Please see the Discovery Course Proposal Process Page for more.
  6. If Writing Intensive Course: Writing Program Approval
  7. If Honors Course: Hamel Honors and Scholars College Approval
  8. University Undergraduate Education Committee Approval
  9. Provost Approval
  10. Registrar (processing)

Once a proposal has been fully reviewed and approved, the approved course will sync with Banner and the appropriate Academic Catalog at the time of the indicated effective academic year. 

Further Support for WI Faculty

The Writing Program provides faculty with multiple avenues of support in integrating writing into their courses. Please see our Faculty Development and Support page for more information, including details on the annual WI Faculty Retreat.