SPH Writing Support Services

Oregon State University's Writing Center has produced "Writing Across Borders," a 3-year documentary project "to help faculty, writing assistants, and other professionals work more productively with international students in writing environments." The overall goal of the project is "to address some of the most significant challenges international students face when writing for American colleges and universities." The content is organized around the following questions:

• How does culture play out in writing, and how are our expectations shaped by cultural preferences?
• How do we assess international student writing when we have to grade it alongside the writing of native speakers, and how can we think about surface error in a fair and constructive manner?
• What kinds of teaching and testing practices disadvantage international students and which help them improve as writers?

Related questions and discussion topics have been produced for faculty training and for writing tutor training.

A PDF version of the Writing Across Borders film's transcript is included below:

Two video clips from the Writing Across Borders film, which is posted on YouTube, are provided below:

Position statements:

Research articles:

The WAC Clearinghouse is an educational Web site that publishes open-access journals, books, and other resources for teachers who use writing in their courses.

The WAC Clearinghouse provides a guide, "An Introduction to Writing Across the Curriculum," that offers information about WAC. The guide provides answers to WAC-related questions, such as "Why include writing in my courses?" and "What makes a good writing assignment?"

Model WAC programs that offer extensive resources for faculty, including handbooks and links, are listed below (especially noteworthy programs are shown in bold text): 

• Cornell University's John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines
• Duke University Thompson Writing Program, see The Duke Writing in the Disciplines (WID) Gallery
• Eastern Illinois University, see Writing Across the Curriculum Handbook
• Eastern Michigan University
• Florida International University, see managing workload techniques
• George Mason University
• Georgetown University Writing Program
• Harvard Writing Project
• Marquette University, see Department-by-Department Reference Guide
• North Carolina State University's Campus Writing & Speaking Program
• The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, see Tips on Teaching Writing and Tips on Teaching ESL Students
• University of Denver University Writing Program, see Writing Across the Curriculum at University of Denver: Context and Issues and Writing Resources for DU Faculty
• University of Notre Dame's Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning
• University of Hawaii, Manoa Writing Program
• University of Minnesota's Writing-Enriched Curriculum
• University of Missouri's Campus Writing Program
• University of Pittsburgh's Writing in the Disciplines
• University of Richmond's WAC Resource Binder
• Washington State University's The Writing Program
• Wright State University, see Writing Across the Curriculum at Wright State University: A Brief Guide for Faculty