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Integrated Writing Course Development and Approval

Policy Number
4245
Date Created/Revised
Date Last Reviewed
Policy Manager
Provost; Faculty Senate

4245. Interim Policy

This policy was adopted under the interim policymaking provisions of the University's Policy on Policies on January 29, 2026. Information about this policy change, and any proposals for further policymaking can be accessed at the University Policy website. Students and employees may submit comments on those proposals through the Proposed Policy Change Comment Form.

4245.1 Definition and Aims of Integrated Writing

Integrated Writing (IW) Courses at Wright State University enable students to improve their competency in writing works in Standard American English or other standard, discipline-specific language. The writing in an IW-designated course will be distinguished from the writing done in a non-IW course by: (1) the quantity of writing that the student will complete by the end of the semester (a minimum of 2000 words in the IW courses in the Wright State Core, and 5000 words in the major); (2) the inclusion of at least some instructional materials specifically designed to develop their writing skills; and (3) the expectation of editing and/or revision of written work, based on instructor responses to initial drafts. While the common expectation will be explicatory essays in standard written American English, the writing assignments may also integrate other genres, communication formats and media, and languages as appropriate to the disciplines in which the writing will take place.

The expected outcomes is that students will graduate with the ability to effectively communicate in a variety of written formats and genres with others in their communities, jobs, nation, and the world.

4245.2 Integrated Writing (IW) Attribute

As a result of their learning experience, students successfully completing an IW-designated course can:

  • Grow as writers;
  • Use writing as a tool to discover and communicate ideas;
  • Practice discipline-specific ways of writing;
  • Demonstrate understanding of course content through writing;
  • Develop writing appropriate for the audience and purpose of a particular writing task;
  • Demonstrate the degree of mastery of disciplinary writing conventions appropriate to the course (including documentation conventions); and 
  • Show competency in standard edited American English. (Units may substitute competency in another language as appropriate to the discipline in which the course is offered).

Courses that address these outcomes will be designated as Integrated Writing (IW) courses.

4245.3 Procedure for Integrated Writing (IW) Course Attribute Application

Faculty seeking IW designations for their courses will be required to explain (a) how the instructional strategies and academic assignments (readings, writings, exams, presentations, reflection activities, projects, etc.) will be connected to each of the required outcomes; and (b) how the accomplishment of each of the required outcomes will be assessed. The IW learning outcomes should be included in the syllabus of any approved IW course.

The IW designation for a course must be approved by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Responsibility for ensuring that these course requirements are met rests with the colleges offering the courses and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

The Wright State electronic curriculum review process will be used by programs to designate whether the program requires one or two IW courses to be completed as part of the major or program.

Assessment of IW courses are done as part of the annual Wright State Core assessment, overseen by the Undergraduate Core Oversight Committee.

4245.4 Core and Major Integrated Writing (IW) Requirements

All undergraduate students who first enroll at Wright State University in the Fall 2025 semester or thereafter must complete three designated IW courses, either two of which will be within the Wright State Core and on in the major, or two within the major and one within the Wright State Core. The distribution of IW courses will vary from program to program. Students who cannot successfully complete an IW course in the Wright State Core may satisfy the IW requirement in any of the following ways:

  • Submit an Independent Writing Project for review by faculty in the student's major (see below)
  • Earn a grade of C or better in an approved IW course in the major and submit an Independent Writing Project for review by faculty in the student's major.
  • Complete an additional IW course with a C or better in the major beyond the two required IW courses in the major.

All students must also successfully complete at least one IW course in their major fields in order to graduate. Student pursuing a dual major may have the writing requirements for the second major waived or modified at the discretion of the department chair or college dean.

4245.5 Independent Writing Project

Under exceptional circumstances, a professor for a course in the major may assign and supervise a paper of at least 2500 words to satisfy the Integrated Writing (IW) attribute required in the major. This option may count as satisfying no more than one unit of the IW requirement and must be approved by the chair of the student's major department. Students are expected to fulfill the rest of the minimum requirement by completing one or more regular IW courses in the major, if the major requires two IW courses.