As a faculty member, you have a critical role in helping our students develop the communication skills needed to succeed in their unique academic areas. However, in the Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC) program, we recognize that becoming a leading expert in computer science, mechanical engineering, or architecture probably did not come with lessons in writing pedagogy. That’s why we’re here to help.
Guides for Teaching Writing
The CAC offers a Faculty Resource Series, or a series of guides on teaching writing and communication, specifically designed for Illinois Tech faculty! Browse all of the guides.
Classroom Workshops
Do you need more help making communication assignments work in your classroom? Or teaching specific communication skills for an academic program? The Writing Center is excited to be actively developing writing workshops that they can offer in your classes. Please visit the Writing Center website, or contact Writing Center Director Naum Neskoski at nneskoski@iit.edu for more details as they emerge.
If these don’t meet your needs, reach out to us.
Curriculum Development
As you think through larger curriculum goals as well as particular courses, reach out to the CAC for individualized guidance. We can work with you through big-picture tasks such as planning and assessing the sequence of “C” courses in a degree program, as well as small-picture details such as crafting assignments and developing rubrics. Please fill out the following form and we’ll be in touch to help you meet your goals.
C-Designated Courses
The CAC program is responsible for overseeing, supporting, and assessing C-designated courses across the undergraduate curriculum. In order to ensure each C-designated course is robust in its teaching of communication skills (and fulfilling its “C” designation in the bulletin), each C-designated course must meet the following learning outcomes.
- Students can demonstrate understanding of and analyze texts (e.g., news articles, academic papers, data sets) in order to develop their own claims in writing.
- Students can craft a text with attention to audience, purpose, context, and conventions.
- Students can effectively revise their text or argument based upon detailed feedback.
- Students can present an effective evidence-based argument in the appropriate medium of communication (e.g., written, visual, oral, or other emergent forms of communication).
- Students can communicate specialized knowledge appropriately for a defined audience.
These learning outcomes were designed to a) align with research and best practices in postsecondary communication education, b) make explicit the varied and nuanced writing skills that courses should teach in order to best support students (research shows that making these skills explicit and discrete especially benefits underprivileged students!), c) differentiate communication skills in a way that will allow proper assessment, and d) address Illinois Tech faculty concerns about student communication skills. They were approved by UGSC in Spring 2024, and formed in collaboration with writing faculty, the Humanities Department, Lewis College, Assessment, and with input from faculty focus groups across campus.
Not sure how to make these outcomes work in your class? Take a look at the resources in our Faculty Resource Series!