Research courses can get W status
Departments wanting to offer students a research-focused, writing-intensive course (numbered 491) now have two options: one administered by an outside office and one by their own department.
The first option is to have students take a W course offered through the Office of Undergraduate Research, under the direction of Associate Dean Robert Webb. Such courses are listed as being in the students’ major, for example BIOL 491 or CHEM 491, but personnel in the Office of Undergraduate Research administer and monitor the writing component, with the help of the students’ faculty advisors.
Students taking a 491 course through the Office of Undergraduate Research write more than 4,000 words, with the course grade based entirely on their writing. Early in the semester, students submit two sections of their thesis to their faculty advisors in order to receive feedback. In week 10, students participate in a peer review with others in the program. Finally, near the end of the semester, they submit a full draft of their thesis to their faculty advisor for additional review.
To meet the requirement for writing instruction, the Office of Undergraduate Research sponsors workshops, some in conjunction with the University Writing Center, on topics including library techniques, writing styles, and grammar. Students are required to attend three of these.
The second way for departments to pursue a research-intensive W course option is to seek approval to administer their own 491 W course. Departments currently offering 491 as writing-intensive include Physics and Biochemisty- Biophysics.
“Not every 491 is assumed automatically to be writing intensive,” explains Dr. Valerie Balester, UWC Executive Director. “In order for a course to earn a W label, students must, at a minimum, receive writing instruction, as well as feedback on early drafts.”
For more information on 491 W courses, contact Dr. Balester at v-balester@tamu.edu.
