Learning Goals and Guidelines for AWD

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Learning Goals

A student who successfully completes the AWD requirement at Northeastern should have demonstrated:

1. A strong understanding of the uses of writing in his/her academic discipline and/or career path
2. Critical understanding of and facility in the discourse of a field
3. Successful use of appropriate citation conventions
4. An understanding of the importance of audience and context with respect to writing style and arrangement
5. Confidence and facility with the processes of revision
6. The production of 5000+ words of polished, revised writing
7. Written reflection on his or her own writing processes and texts and their role in his or her own practice of critical reasoning.

Guidelines for Courses

Advanced Writing in the Disciplines courses have particular emphases corresponding to the diverse needs and locations of Northeastern students. The AWD program recognizes and acknowledges the variable uses and purposes of written communication among different academic and workplace contexts. Therefore, different versions of AWD may vary considerably with respect to the types of writing they assign and expect. However, all AWD courses should contain the following elements:

1. A primary focus on the production and revision of written student work
2. Frequent and regular attention to student writing in the classroom
3. Extensive opportunity for revision and improvement
4. Instruction in how to identify, and opportunities to inhabit, the discourse and idiom of a field
5. Practice in the use of the library and other resources and technologies for research and investigation
6. Attention to the importance of audience and context
7. Practice in the responsible use of appropriate citation conventions
8. Opportunity for students to respond to each others’ draft work in written form
9. Production of 5000+ words of polished writing appropriate to the students’ field, discipline, or workplace context
10. Opportunity for students to respond to and reflect on their own writing processes and practices
11. An evaluation mechanism focusing mainly on the assessment of revised and polished student writing with secondary attention to drafts, reflections, peer reviews, and other instances of unrevised writing.