1. Writing Assessment.

Overall, the student's portfolio shows evidence of the following elements, which are listed in order of importance:

1. A main assertion (purpose, thesis, hypothesis) for the paper, either deductively or inductively organized.
2. Evidence to support that the assertion and its sub-arguments (what this term means may vary from one discipline to another).
3. A clear path (either inductive or deductive) of the writer's reasoning through the paper; the presence of the purpose in the sub-arguments.
4. Coherence and logical integration of all parts of the paper, including sections, paragraphs, and sentences, as well as the main assertion-- explicitly for some disciplines, less explicitly for others.
5. The documents are edited for economy.
6. There are no mistakes in wording, spelling, punctuation, or grammar that make the writing unclear or confusing.

2. Program Assessment: WAC and Interdisciplinarity

1. The student's work addresses diverse and specific contexts, purposes, and audiences.
2. Use the following taxonomy to categorize the student's work and to record his/her use:
   • literary critiques (arguments on literary texts)
   • arguments about issues, events or ideas
   • informative papers
   • evocative essays (personal essays/fiction)
   • multimedia
3. Were diverse research tools employed? Use the following taxonomy to categorize research methodologies and record the use followed by students:
   • Scholarly (Historical, Philosophical, Critical)
   • Empirical (Scientific, Formalistic, Clinical, and Ethnographic)
   • Anecdotal
4. What percentage of the student's work incorporates a multidisciplinary perspective, as indicated by the inclusion of information from diverse disciplines and the inclusion of diverse research, methodologies, discourse conventions, and documentation conventions?

The WAC Resource Page

Revised by Charla Bauer June 15, 1998