Category Archives: WIC Culture of Writing Awards

Coming Up: 2024 WIC Culture of Writing Awards in the Disciplines

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by Casey Dawson, WIC Graduate Assistant

Each spring, the Writing Intensive Curriculum program hosts the WIC Culture of Writing Awards in the Disciplines (COWA). The COWA are designed to foster an academic culture that recognizes and values the teaching, practice, and modeling of writing excellence at the classroom, unit, and university levels. These awards encourage undergraduates and the wider OSU community to value and recognize the unique qualities of disciplinary writing.

Winners will receive a $100 prize: $50 coming from the WIC Program, and $50 from the unit that nominated the paper. Winners will also be invited to submit their papers to ScholarsArchive@OSU, Oregon State’s thesis and dissertation archive. Past COWA winners (2006-2023) can be found here.

HOW TO NOMINATE STUDENT PAPERS FOR COWA

Papers written for undergraduate courses at Oregon State are eligible for nomination. The paper does NOT need to have been written for a WIC course. Nominees for COWA are selected by participating departments. While the nomination process takes place within each unit, awardees are selected by faculty within each discipline.

To nominate a student paper for WIC’s Culture of Writing Awards:

  • Complete the nomination form and submit to Caryn Stoess no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 30th, 2024. (To receive the award certificate in time for your college’s spring awards event, submit this form as early as possible and include the event information/date.)
  • After the award is processed, the $100 prize — $50 from WIC and $50 from the unit index noted on the nomination form — will be deposited in the recipient’s student account. Winners who graduate prior to June 2023 will be mailed a check.

NOMINATING TEAM PROJECTS

If your unit would like to recognize a collaboratively-written paper, contact WIC Director Sarah Perrault (sarah.perrault@oregonstate.edu) for more information.

2017 WIC Culture of Writing Awards: Celebrating Writing in the Disciplines

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By WIC Team 

WIC and participating units strive to foster a commitment to excellence in undergraduate student writing and recognize the value of writing across the disciplines with the annual Culture of Writing Awards.

Participation in the Culture of Writing Awards has thrived since 2006 as students earn recognition and cash awards through either individual or team writing projects. This year, participation continues to be strong. WIC would like to thank all participating units for their continued desire to recognize and reward outstanding student writing.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees!

Student Name Paper Title College/Unit Nominating Professor
Zoe Kilmer Unprecedented Retreat of Columbia Glacier Relative to the Last Millennium BioResource Research Kate G. Field
Jacob Parsons Our Bumblebees Are Disappearing: the Neonicotinoid Connection Crop and Soil Science Jennifer Parke
Rachel Zmolek Exploring In-home Therapies to Increase Physical Activity for Children with Cerebral Palsy Kinesiology Jessica Hamm
Patrick Thomas Flynn Undecidability for Higher Dimensional Knots Mathematics Clayton Petsche
Mady Liu The Effects of Antibacterial Soap on Human Health Microbiology Jeneva Anderson
Aiden Koll Who Supports the Legalization of Marijuana? The Impact of Liberalism and Age on Attitudes Surrounding Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Sociology Kelsy Kretschmer
Kendal Schwabrow Ethical Concerns of Animal Experimentation Animal Sciences Giovanna Rosenlicht
Brock Kocyan, Cody Cowdin, David Stitch Project Summary: Smart Solar Disconnect Electrical and Computer Engineering Rachael Cate
Ashley Price Goodness and Failure Defining Humanity English Jennifer Richter
Aneesa Field A New Outlook to an Ongoing Debate: Affirmative Action through the Lens of Asian Americans History Marisa Chappell
Tania Mendez, Caroline Brown Malheur on the Move Human Development and Family Sciences Lori A. McGraw
Allison Daley The Paradox of Facebook: Interdisciplinary Perspectives of Social Support Online and Face-to-Face Psychology Frank Bernieri
Jeremy Meinke Single-Molecule Analysis of a Novel Kinesin Motor Protein Physics Janet Tate
Ethan Palioca Effect of Magnetic Field and Magnetite Nanoparticle on Power Production of Microbial Fuel Cells Bioenergy Kate G. Field
Makenzie Ellet Project Proposal: Multi-Use Facility Construction Engineering Management Joe Fradella
Amy Wyman Individual Design Report: Coast Guard Base for Galveston, Texas Civil Engineering Shane Brown
Caitlyn Douglas “Girl Power”: A look at Eighteenth-Century Feminism in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro Music Performance Kimary Fick
Hannah Larue A Multi-Level Intervention Program for Breast Cancer Self-Screenings and  Mammography Use in Native Alaskan Women Public Health Sheryl Thorburn
William Young The Effects of UV Irradiation on the Biosorption of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles to Heterotrophic Biomass Honors College Jeffrey Nason
Claire McMorris Corporate Oregon: A Narrative Study of Measure 97 Honors College Michael Jones
Christopher Bahro Vibrational-Rotational Spectoscopey of HCl/DCl Gas Chemistry Chong Fang
Jordan Coelho A Culture-independent Approach to Studying the Effects of Solarization on Soil Microbial Communities Using PRC and Illumina MiSeq Microbiology Walt Ream

Awardees in Bio Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Engineering are not published at the request of the nominating faculty.

Nominate Your Best Student Writer for the WIC Culture of Writing Award in Your Discipline

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By WIC Team 

As spring term arrives, please remember to nominate outstanding undergraduate writers for WIC Culture of Writing Awards. Recognizing exceptional student writing communicates to our students and the university that good writing matters in every discipline. To nominate outstanding undergraduate writers, interested units (schools, departments) seek nominations from the faculty and select the best paper from the major. For each writing prize winner, WIC awards $50, matched by $50 from the unit, for a total of $100. What an excellent way to acknowledge the hard work and talent of our undergraduate writers! If a unit nominates a student, that student receives an award. There is no competition between units.

Once your department or unit has chosen a paper to nominate, fill out the nomination form and submit it via email to Claire Roth by 5:00 p.m. PST, June 2, 2017. The complete policy and submission instructions are on the WIC website. Here are a few tips and models for the award nomination process:

  • Model 1: the academic unit might use the department or school awards committee, who asks faculty to nominate and submit their best undergraduate paper for the year. The committee chooses the awardee.
  • Model 2: the academic unit wants the awardee to be from a WIC course, so one or more WIC instructors select the best paper.
  • Model 3: the top academic writing occurs in a capstone course with a team project. The unit selects the team with the best-written capstone project for the award. When the award goes to a team of four, some units divide the $100 award 4 ways, while other units contribute more than $50 so that individuals will receive a more substantial award.

Because the only way a student at OSU can receive a monetary award is through a deposit in the student’s account, the award is typically given to a student who is currently enrolled. If a student winner has graduated prior to June 2016, additional paperwork and processing time will be required. If possible, submit those nominations as early as possible. In addition, if units would like to receive the award certificate in time for an awards event, include that information and the date of the event with the nomination form. Units with special considerations regarding the due date should contact Vicki Tolar Burton, copying Claire Roth (rothcl@oregonstate.edu).

Student awardees are invited to submit their winning paper to the WIC section of the ScholarsArchive@OSU.

Writing Advice from a Recent Public Health Grad

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By WIC Team

For each spring WIC newsletter, we ask undergraduates who have won a WIC Culture of Writing Award to share writing advice with students following in their major. From time to time we also ask past winners who are several years out of OSU to tell us about writing in the workplace. Claire Ranit, graduate from the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, won a Culture of Writing Award in 2012 for her paper titled “The Interplay of Accountable Care Organizations and Antitrust Regulations.” We asked Claire several questions about where she is now and what writing advice she would give fellow writers.

Ranit explained, “Currently I have my own healthcare consulting business with one large grant-based, multi-year contract as a Project Director and a few other small contracts intermittently.  My main work focuses on teaching a three county community on ACEs, Trauma Theory, and Trauma Informed Care. Writing is required daily in my role as Project Director including but not limited to strategic plan development, proposal development, and grant proposals.”

“My advice to undergraduates in the College of Public Health is to start as early as possible in the term on any writing projects.  Get an outline together in the first couple weeks of the course and start drafting work.  Most instructors are willing to look over multiple iterations of a written work so by the end of the term there is no need to cram and you can be confident in receiving a high grade on your work.”

“Having learned how to write proposals would have been beneficial in the program, especially in the healthcare field.  A lot of graduates work with doctors on some level and it’s important to be able to present the whole picture succinctly.  Early on I adopted the SBAR (situation, background, assessment, recommendation) framework and expanded on details where needed.”

We want to thank Ranit for her excellent advice and encourage our WIC faculty to begin watching for student papers of distinction. Details on nominating student papers for 2017 WIC Culture of Writing Awards will appear in our Winter 2017 Newsletter.

2016 WIC Culture of Writing Awards in the Disciplines

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RCOW-300x232By WIC Team 

WIC and participating units strive to foster a commitment to excellence in undergraduate student writing and recognize the value of writing across the disciplines with the annual Culture of Writing Award.

Participation in the Culture of Writing Award has thrived since 2006 as students earn recognition and cash awards through either individual or team writing projects. This year, participation continues to be strong. WIC would like to thank all participating units for their continued desire to recognize and reward outstanding student writing.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees!

Student Name Paper Title College/Unit Nominating Professor
Alexandra (Lexie) Krueger “Cardiovascular System Technical Description” Kinesiology Elizabeth Delf
Alyssa Froman “Plutarch’s Women: A Unique Perspective on the Value of Women in Ancient Rome” History Kevin Osterloh
Alyssa Rollins “Seventeen Days: A Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Hispanic Adolescent Females in Portland, Oregon” Public Health Peggy Dolcini
Amandip Singh “Decaying Pig Body’s Impact on Forest Soil Microbiota” Microbiology Walt Ream
Armando Kraynick “Gondar Site Development Project, Final Group Design Report V2.0” Civil Engineering Shane Brown
Keisuke Harry “Gondar Site Development Project, Final Group Design Report V2.0” Civil Engineering Shane Brown
Nicklaus R. Abdou “Gondar Site Development Project, Final Group Design Report V2.0” Civil Engineering Shane Brown
B. Lauren Stoneburner “Trumpet of the Spirit, Bass of Faith: Jazz as a Cold War Spiritual Weapon” Religion Christopher Nichols
Breanna Hagerman

 

 “The Influence of Race and Gender on an Individual’s Support for Reducing Income Inequality” Sociology Kelsy Kretschmer
Brian Dougherty “Biochar as a Cover for Dairy Manure Lagoons: Reducing Odor and Gas Emissions While Capturing Nutrients” Bioenergy Minor Kate G. Field
Danika Locey “Frauenliebe und Leben: Robert Schumann’s Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” Music Julia Goodwin
Darian Taylor Seim “Understanding the Impact of Orientation on Gene Expression of lux operon in pKN800 Transformation into Escherichia coli DH5a” Microbiology Ryan Mueller
Jason Sandwisch “Radical Addition Polymerization and Characterization of Polymethylmetacrylate by GPC, DSC, and Viscometry” Chemistry Michelle Dolgos
Jenna Marie Proctor “The Great Hall: A Story of Promise, Lost Opportunity, and the Value of the Liberal Arts” Honors College Ben Mutschler
Jennifer K. Green “Transient Electron Donor Concentration Experiments for the Determination of Dehalogenation Rate and Kinetic Parameter Shifts in an Anaerobic Microbial Culture” Honors College Lewis Semprini
Jennifer Green “Calcium Removal for Increased Hydrolyzate Activity” Environmental Engineering Philip Harding
Miranda Raper “Calcium Removal for Increased Hydrolyzate Activity” Bioengineering Philip Harding
Zachary Jones “Calcium Removal for Increased Hydrolyzate Activity” Chemical Engineering Philip Harding
Joshua Y. Zheng “Conveying Affect: Vocal vs. Nonverbal Cues” Psychology Frank Bernieri
Justin Stangel “Ethics in Construction Bidding” Construction Engineering Shane Brown
Kendra Sherman “Strong Bones Start Young” Kinesiology Tony Wilcox
Lauren Henneford “Is Cosmetic Tail Surgery in Dogs Ethical?” Animal Sciences Claudia Ingham
Michelle Koepke “Standardized Testing” Economics Carol Tremblay
Mudra Choudhury

 

 “The Development and Application of a Systems Biology Approach to Mapping Monocyte Gene Regulatory Networks” BioResource Research Kate G. Field
Natasha M. Smith “An Enzymatic Study of the Role of Tyr415 in Native Catalase HPII using the UAA Mutants: 3-Cl-Tyr415 and 3-Br-Tyr415” Biochemistry and Biophysics Kari van Zee
Samuel Kowash “Solving the Geodesic Equation on the Poincaré and Klein Disks” Mathematics Tevian Dray
Samuel Kowash “The Lag-Luminosity Correlation in Time-Resolved Episodes of Long Gamma-ray Bursts” Physics Janet Tate

 

Writing Advice from WIC Culture of Writing Award Winners

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By WIC Team

The 2016 WIC Culture of Writing Award winners were asked to give writing advice for students in their respective majors/disciplines. Here is what they had to say:

Alyssa Froman, History:
“I have found in history courses that you have to be open to change. That is, if you set out researching one topic, and halfway through realize that it’s irrelevant or less exciting than a new lead, go ahead and follow your gut. If you’re passionate about what you’re writing, it will always be better than something forced. Another tip is to print out your paper and edit it by hand — we stare at computer screens for hours upon hours and it drains our eyes. Mixing it up by reading a real piece of paper can help you zero in on sections that you would otherwise gloss over.”

Alyssa Rollins, Public Health:
“My biggest piece of advice for undergraduate writers is to not be afraid to make edits. Even the most experienced authors can’t write something perfectly on their first try! Appreciate when your professor or a friend hands back to you a draft covered in red ink; it shows that your writing has potential and they care enough to help you take it to the next level.”

B. Lauren Stoneburner, Religion:
“Writing never gets easier but you get better the more work is put into it. It gives back to you in ways that you don’t expect. Work to write out of who you are and uncover your own voice. And the work is always worth it.”

Breanna Hagerman, Sociology:
“The advice that I would give to undergraduate writers in sociology would be to always meet with their professor before the paper is due, even if all they have is an outline. Clarifying details and getting a better idea of what is expected makes the paper easier to start and to write in the long run! Also, I find it more successful to just pick a spot in a coffee shop for a couple of hours and write as much as I can without focusing on the details. Instead of spending all of my time on one paragraph, I’ll add comments in places I want to use quotes or highlight sentences that I want to go back to. Always continue writing, you know what you’re doing and you’ll get there! It is a process.”

Brian Dougherty, BioResource Research:
“Don’t procrastinate on starting your thesis. It may require several rounds of editing and revising before you submit it. A draft of the introduction and literature review can be completed before or during data collection. Starting early reduces the stress involved with meeting your deadlines.”

Joshua Zheng, Psychology:
“The end goal of any piece of writing is to communicate something as clearly and as simply as possible. Thus, when you edit your work, never be afraid to rip apart everything you’ve written and write it all again. Don’t be afraid to throw away an entire paragraph if you can convey the same meaning in a single sentence. It’s like cutting a diamond: the process is rough and vicious but the end result is beautiful and refined.”

Mudra Choudhury, BioResource Research:
“Make sure your scientific writing is clear and concise, and that you accurately describe the broader impacts of your project. When conducting research, document all of your progress regularly. This helps avoid having to recall details when writing the scientific paper later on.”

Samuel Kowash, Mathematics and Physics:
“You can start writing sooner than you expect. Even if you don’t have results or fully understand the theory yet, you always have some idea of what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it. Write this down the way you would explain it to a classmate or professor, then update and revise it as your project evolves. This keeps old knowledge from fading, solidifies new knowledge, and saves you time later on.”

 

Nominate Your Best Student Writer for the WIC Culture of Writing Award in Your Discipline

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By WIC Team 

As spring term arrives, please remember to nominate outstanding undergraduate writers for WIC Culture of Writing Awards. Recognizing exceptional student writing communicates to our students and the university that good writing matters in every discipline. To nominate outstanding undergraduate writers, interested units (schools, departments) seek nominations from the faculty and select the best paper from the major. For each writing prize winner, WIC awards $50, matched by $50 from the unit, for a total of $100. What an excellent way to acknowledge the hard work and talent of our undergraduate writers!

Once your department or unit has chosen a paper to nominate, fill out the nomination form and submit it to Julie Howard by 5:00 p.m. PST, June 1, 2016. The complete policy and submission instructions are on the WIC website. Here are a few tips and models for the award nomination process:

  • Model 1: the academic unit might use the department or school awards committee, who asks faculty to nominate and submit their best undergraduate paper for the year. The committee chooses the awardee.
  • Model 2: the academic unit wants the awardee to be from a WIC course, so one or more WIC instructors select the best paper.
  • Model 3: the top academic writing occurs in a capstone course with a team project. The unit selects the team with the best-written capstone project for the award. When the award goes to a team of four, some units divide the $100 award 4 ways, while other units contribute more than $50 so that individuals will receive a more substantial award.

Because the only way a student at OSU can receive a monetary award is through a deposit in the student’s account, the award is typically given to a student who is currently enrolled. If a student winner has graduated prior to June 2016, additional paperwork and processing time will be required. If possible, submit those nominations as early as possible. In addition, if units would like to receive the award certificate in time for an awards event, include that information and the date of the event with the nomination form. Units with special considerations regarding the due date should contact Vicki Tolar Burton, copying Kristina Lum.

Student awardees are invited to submit their paper to the WIC section of the ScholarsArchive@OSU.

 

The Annual WIC Culture of Writing Awards in the Disciplines

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By Jacob Day, WIC GTAWIC Culture of Writing Award

Through the annual Culture of Writing Award, WIC and participating units and schools foster a commitment to excellence in undergraduate student writing and recognize the value of writing across the disciplines. Participation in the Culture of Writing Award has thrived since 2006 as students earn recognition and cash awards through either individual or team writing projects. This year, participation continues to be strong with early results showing 16 awardees, with more expected.  WIC would like to thank all participating units for their continued desire to recognize and reward outstanding student writing. Congratulations to this year’s award winners!

  Student Name Paper Title College / Unit Nominating Professor
1 Crystal Kraft “Harper’s Healing with Horse Therapy” College of Public Health and Human Sciences, School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences Joy Lile
2 Heaven Le Roberts “Ethical Concerns of Testing Toxins in Animals” College of Agricultural  Sciences, Animal and Rangeland Sciences Giovanna Rosenlicht
3 Christopher Heron “Synthesis and Characterization of 4-Ethylbenzophenone” College of Science, Chemistry Michelle Dolgos
4 K.C. Clay “Emotions as Motivations for the Conquistadors” College of Liberal Arts School of History, Philosophy, and Religion Nicole von Germeten
5 Alexandra Joy Bonney “Genome sequencing and annotation of Pseudomonas veronii isolated from Oregon State University soil and 16S rRNA characterization of Corvallis, OR soil microbial populations” College of ScienceDepartment of Microbiology Walt Ream
6 Timothy Michael Chase “The Development of Music Notation:  Notational Practices of the Middle Ages and How They Reveal a Changing Philosophy of Music” College of Liberal Arts School of Arts & Communications Julia Goodwin
7 Peter Killgore “The Fano Plane as an Octonionic Multiplication Table” College of Science
Mathematics		 Tevian Dray
8 Hannah Whitley “Support for Capital Punishment:  The Role of Parenthood and Suburbanism in Death Penalty Opinions” College of Liberal Arts, School of Public Policy
Sociology Program		 Mark Edwards
9 Alyssa Beamer “Artistic Engineering” College of Liberal Arts
School of Writing, Literature, and Film		 Steve Kunert
10 B. Lauren Stoneburner “Aimee Semple McPherson and Writing the Faith into the Modern World” College of Liberal Arts School of History, Philosophy, and Religion Courtney Campbell
11 Kodasha M. Thomas “Targeted Intervention to Reduce HIV Transmission-Atlanta, GA” College of Public Health and Human Sciences, School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences Joseph A. Catania
12 Christopher J. Ratcliff “Carbon Isotopes Show Snowpack Acts as a Valuable Moisture Subsidy to Mountain Forests in the Oregon Cascades” College of Agricultural Science, BioResource Research Katharine G. Field
13 Amanda Leahy “Textile and Apparel Marketing Plan” College of Business, School of Design and Human Environment Tsun-Yin (Tracie) Tung
14 Emily Kolodzy “Textile and Apparel Marketing Plan” College of Business, School of Design and Human Environment Tsun-Yin (Tracie) Tung
15 Zoe Chrisman-Miller “The Effects of Adult Attachment on Exercise” College of Liberal Arts, School of Psychological Sciences Mei Lien
16 Emily Jackson   “The Geologic Setting,History, Hazards, andMitigation of the MountYake-Dake Volcano on Honshu Island, Japan” College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Geosciences Anita Grunder
17 Michael Perlin “Optimizing Monte Carlo   simulation of the square-well fluid” College of Science, Department of Physics Janet Tate
18 Jessica Cesar “Fighting for Fruit:  IPM Strategies for Drosophila suzukii in Blueberry and Raspberry Production” College of Agricultural Science, Department of Crop and Soil Science Jennifer Parke
19 Claire Osterag-Hill “Differentiation of BHV-1 Isolates from Vaccine Virus by High-Resolution Melting Analysis and An Examination of the Interface Between Culture and the Global Prevalence of HSV-2″ University Honors College Ling Jin
20 Alyssa Ekdahl “Ion Exchange System for Strontium Removal” College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering Philip Harding
21 Sarah Seals “Ion Exchange System for Strontium Removal” College of Engineering, Biological Engineering Philip Harding
22 Jana Otero “Ion Exchange System for Strontium Removal” College of Engineering, Environmental Engineering Philip Harding
23 Jordon Walker “Pragmatism, Walt Whitman, and Understanding Liberal Arts, Cascades James Foster

Writing Advice from WIC Culture of Writing Award Winners

The 2015 WIC Culture of Writing Award winners were asked to give writing advice for students in their respective majors and disciplines. Here is what they had to say:

Peter Kilgore, Mathematics:

“If you are going to be writing mathematics, take the time to learn LaTeX; it will make the project much easier and gives a nice professional look to your work. When it comes to getting your ideas on paper, make an outline! It doesn’t have to be super detailed, but this helps develop a nice flow within your paper. Above all, be clear and concise. Mathematical writing must be exact and precise without getting bogged down in superfluous verbiage. Say exactly what you mean in as few words as possible. I think these are the basis for writing a good mathematical paper.”

Tim Chase, Music:

“It’s most important when selecting a topic to choose a subject that interests you most. I suggest taking the one or two aspects of first term Music History that you found the most fascinating and stick with them, even if a thesis statement doesn’t come right away. When I chose to write about music notation, I cycled through different thesis statements multiple times a week until I found one that fit. So my best advice is to choose something, however broad, that makes you curious and excited, and then simply read everything you can. An arguable thesis will come, and then your research will be driven by interest and fascination as well as a deadline.”

Hannah Whitley, Sociology:  

“I think that writing for sociology requires a delicate, yet necessary balance; not only do individuals need to know the tools necessary for writing in the humanities, but there is also the required scientific component when it comes to quantitative and result analysis. I feel like many writers are either comfortable with ONLY writing for science or ONLY writing for humanities, which is why writing for social science has traditionally been so daunting.

“My biggest piece of advice is to acknowledge that (as with any research paper), your process is going to take time. We have always been told to not procrastinate and not leave assignments until the last minute, but in writing major sociological research papers, this piece of advice is a big deal. In order to communicate your ideas effectively, while simultaneously weaving through the humanities/scientific writing maze, make sure to set aside enough time to simply write. I feel like a lot of students struggle with underestimating how long something will take them to write, which is why this is a very important piece of advice! Also, never overlook the power of a second opinion. I like to make sure that all my major papers are seen by a minimum of three other people. This way, I can see if my ideas are communicated effectively and clearly.”

K. C. Clay, History:

“Unless it is a direct quote, every citation should have at least two sources. Other scholars might disagree with your argument or your interpretation, but your facts will be fixed.”

Brittany Stoneburner, Religious Studies:

“Work hard. Don’t just write for the class or a good grade. Seek out your Professors. They will bring out the best in you. Above all else – be creative and have fun.”

 Kodasha Thomas, Public Health:

“The primary advice I have for other writers in the Public Health major is: Write about your passions and what interests you! Don’t hold back from experiencing different types of writing that you aren’t used to. And remember, writing is a process, so be patient with your work!”

Pre/Views: “Learning to Praise,” Revisited: Why Faculty Should Nominate Students for the WIC Culture of Writing Awards

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By Vicki Tolar Burton, WIC Directorvicki_crop

Faculty who have taken the WIC Seminar may remember Donald A. Daiker’s powerful article, “Learning to Praise” (1989). Examining studies of comments written on
student writing, Daiker notes, for example, that in a set of freshman essays, of 864 comments, only 51 were comments of praise. In another study, 89.4% of comments cited errors or criticized the writing, while only 10.6% of comments offered affirmation or praise. Daiker says, “Perhaps we need to go back to school ourselves to learn how to recognize what merits praise in student writing.”

Every OSU department or unit with an undergraduate major has the annual opportunity to praise and celebrate strong student writing by awarding the WIC Culture of Writing Award in their discipline to their top undergraduate writer. This recognition is very significant to our students. They are not used to being praised for their writing, much less winning and award. Despite the impact on students, typically, only about fifteen to eighteen departments/units, of a possible 70+ majors, nominate an undergrad for this award. This is not an extensive competition: if the unit nominates the student, the student wins the award. This is an easy, inexpensive (unit contributes $50, WIC matches) way to send the message to our undergraduates that the faculty and the university value excellent writing.

In addition to honoring a student writer, the selection process within the unit gives faculty an opportunity to identify the qualities of good writing in their particular discipline, information that should be communicated to students in every course.

Please consider nominating one of your upper division student writers for the WIC Culture of Writing Award in your discipline—and persuading your unit to participate in the awards. Let’s practice praising excellence in undergraduate writing. Information on the nomination process appears elsewhere in this issue.

In praise of praise, Daiker quotes novelist Raymond Carver who remembers his own teacher John Gardner’s generous (though exacting) comments:  “He was always looking to find something to praise. When there was a sentence, a line of dialogue, or a narrative passage that he liked, something that he thought ‘worked’ and moved the story along in some pleasant or unexpected way, he’d write ‘Nice’ in the margin or else ‘Good!’ And seeing these comments, my heart would lift. (quoted in Daiker 111)

Let’s lift the hearts of OSU writers across the curriculum with Culture of Writing awards and well deserved praise.

Daiker, Donald S. “Learning to Praise.” Writing and Response: Theory, Practice, and Research. Chris Anson, Ed. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1989.

Call for WIC Culture of Writing Award Nominations

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WIC Culture of Writing AwardAs spring term arrives, please remember to nominate outstanding undergraduate student essays for a WIC Culture of Writing Award. Recognizing exceptional student
writing communicates to our students and the university that good writing matters in every discipline. Participating units (schools, departments) seek nominations from the faculty and select the best paper from the major. WIC then awards $50, matched by $50 for the unit, for the writing prize winner. What a great way to acknowledge the hard work and talent of our undergraduate writers!

Once your department or unit has chosen a paper to nominate, fill out the nomination form and submit it to Julie Howard by 5:00 p.m. PST, June 1, 2015. The complete policy and submission instructions are on the WIC website.

Here are a few tips and models for the award nomination process:

• Model 1: the academic unit might use the department or school awards committee, who asks faculty to nominate and submit their best undergraduate paper for the year. The committee chooses   the awardee.
• Model 2: the academic unit wants the awardee to be from a WIC course, so one or more WIC instructors select the best paper.
• Model 3: the top academic writing occurs in a capstone course with a team project. The unit selects the team with the best-written capstone project for the award. When the award goes to a team or four, some units divide the $100 award 4 ways, while other units contribute more than $50 so that individuals will receive a more substantial award.
• Because the only way a student at OSU can receive a monetary award is through a deposit in the student’s account, the award is typically given to a student who is currently enrolled. Thus, we have a deadline that enables us to process all awards to student accounts before the end of spring term. Units with special considerations regarding the due date should contact Vicki Tolar Burton, copying Jacob Day. If a student winner has graduated prior to June 2015, additional paperwork will be required.