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MCC Daily Tribune

Become WR-Certified: Written Communication is Everyone's Business

Do you see your primary goal as preparing students for the workforce? If so, then you will do your students (and their future employers) a huge favor by making your courses writing intensive.  

Surveys of business leaders and hiring managers show why: written communication (one of the so-called “soft skills”) is consistently listed among the most important skills that college graduates can have. In one recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, written communication is fourth on the list of attributes that employers will be looking for in 2022 graduates. The AAC&U’s latest survey shows 90% of employers deem “ability to communicate through writing” as important (with 54% saying “very” and 36% saying “somewhat”). And in The Job Market Outlook for Grads, ZipRecruiter notes that there are approximately 6.1 million job listings with communication skills as a requirement for employment.

Such skills do not, and cannot, come from one college writing class. As the AAC&U study shows, 83% of employers say that college grads who have "Multiple courses requiring significant writing assignments" on their transcripts are more likely to be hired (42% say “much more likely” and 41% say “somewhat more likely”).

You can help students increase their job prospects (as well as their success and promotion on the job) by adapting your existing courses so that they meet MCC's writing-intensive (WR) course standards.

WR courses follow the central principle of writing-to-learn, where course content is enhanced through activities and assignments that enable students to communicate what they're learning in styles and modes and voices that correspond to your discipline. Whether verbally transcribed, written in class, or revised and edited on a computer, writing is applied learning. When this happens through repeated practice across all their courses, students build their skills and their confidence when it comes to written communication.

Beyond your individual class, certifying your courses as WR benefits students in two larger ways:

  1. Students who take at least 30 credits of WR courses and maintain a B average among those courses will receive WR designation on their transcripts when they graduate
  2. When WR courses are offered truly across the curriculum, rather than just in little pockets or only for certain programs and majors, we make another step toward equity for our students. High impact learning experiences should be available to all students at MCC, regardless of pathway, degree type, or major.

Now is the perfect time to take the formal step in becoming WR-certified! Begin by reviewing the Guidelines for Writing-Intensive Courses and then submitting a WR-course proposal. There is time for you to become certified and have your WR section(s) on the books when registration opens in a couple weeks.

The WAC Committee is happy to assist you after that with workshops/consultations on effective practices, designing assignments, and grading strategies.

Questions? Please contact Amy Burtner.

Amy Burtner
Writing Across the Curriculum
10/21/2022