Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of the study was to determine to what degree writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) activities and support services used by faculty and their nontraditional adult students in four disciplines help students understand and apply course content and improve writing skills in four-week courses at National University. Methodology. A descriptive design was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The sample included 25 faculty and 125 nontraditional students in arts and humanities, business, natural science, and social science classes. Instruments included a faculty and student survey, an interview and a focus group questionnaire. Surveys were administered during onsite fall classes. Interviews and focus groups were conducted in person, via phone, or iLinc. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo7 software. Literature was used to triangulate results of quantitative and qualitative data. Findings. The writing-across-the-curriculum activities faculty used in their fall courses helped nontraditional undergraduate adult students understand and apply course content and improve their writing skills. The most widely used and effective writing activities across the four disciplines were short one-to-three page writing assignments and written summaries. Four frequently used and effective supplementary writing activities used to help students understand course content in all four disciplines were "oral explanations of grading," "written directions," "written feedback from faculty," and "written rubrics." The most widely used and effective support service was the online library. Faculty reported that writing-across-the-curriculum workshops prepared them to help their students understand and apply course content and improve writing skills during their fall classes. Conclusions. Students acquire a deeper understanding of subject matter and write more proficiently when they are required to write about content. Summary writing assignments are an effective method to check for understanding and stimulate critical thinking. When faculty incorporate opportunities to reflect upon real-life experiences in writing assignments, adult students are more committed to and engaged in the learning process. When faculty in adult education provide their students with opportunities for self-reflection, they encourage higher levels of thinking. Recommendations. Replicate this study at a public open enrollment university with nontraditional or traditional undergraduate adult students.