Some Key WAC Best Practices for Instructors:

·Assigning and responding effectively to informal or short (minimally graded) pieces of writing that help students do the formal, revised, major writing projects of the course

·Assigning and responding effectively to informal or short (minimally) graded) pieces of writing that help students learn course content

·Giving well-designed directions for writing assignments

·Giving students clear explanations of learning goals for writing assignments

·Developing and giving evaluation criteria for writing assignments

·Giving effective written and/or oral feedback on drafts of writing projects

·Encouraging students to seek appropriate assistance outside the classroom (such as from the campus Writing Center)

·Assessing one's practices and making adjustments accordingly

Web Pages and Other Sources of Information about WAC and WAC Best Practices:

Introductory Information:

An Introduction to Writing across the Curriculum" from the WAC Clearinghouse website

Integrating Writing into Any Course: Starting Points" by Kate Kiefer

4,100 Students Prove 'Small Is Better' Rule Wrong" by Sam Dillon (September 27, 2010 NY Times article on the huge impact of writing across the curriculum on a "failing" high school)

Responding to Student Writing:

Richard Haswell's classic article "Minimal Marking"
M. A. Syverson's "Minimal Marking: A Sane Method for Dealing with Errors"
"Responding to Student Writing"

 A Web Page from Grinnell College on Research Assignments (alternatives to the long research paper): 

http://www.grinnell.edu/library/facstaff/infolithome/sampleassignments

Writing in the Disciplines:

Books available in the Writing Center on use of student writing in various disciplines, including business, math, social sciences, sciences, fine arts, and more

How Can Writing Help Students Learn Content (from MIT)