Institutions must change the curriculum, course loads, and provide training to faculty if WAC programs are to succeed. WAC Assumptions examined 1. The ability to write well is fundamental to academic success. Cognitive psychologists and some researchers in Composition Studies argue that language, a social construct, shapes learning. Thought and language have different genetic roots, yet via socialization thought finds form in language.
Inner speech is dialogic, representing the intersection of thought and language.
The writing process mirrors the learning process. Proponents of WAC have argued that writing represents a unique mode of learning. As Janet Emig illustrates in Table 1 there exists a unique cluster of correspondences between certain learning strategies and certain attributes of writing. Although underdeveloped, research supports the assumption that writing shapes learning There have been many informal studies done at other universities where WAC programs have been established for several years now. These small studies point to different kinds of evidence that seem to suggest students do benefit from writing in the content courses.