Writing and Information Literacy

Core Writing

In Core, writing well means that each student engages in a revision process. With every writing assignment, Core students will receive and work with feedback from peers, their instructor, and often the Judith L. Beumer Writing Center consultants.

High school programs teach writing and information literacy primarily in the context of an English class. At Valpo, we build on students’ foundation in high school writing to emphasize research and writing to learn across different disciplines. In Core, writing to learn is a process by which students think deeply about the texts they read, view, and discuss. They formulate new ways of interpreting and analyzing the meaning of these works. Writing instruction goes beyond writing with formulas such as the five-paragraph essay to presenting academic arguments that skillfully integrate evidence and logical reasoning with attention to audience, purpose, and context.

Students become both writers and peer reviewers as they write to learn. Composing multiple drafts encourages students to think continually about their arguments and how they can best communicate with an audience. Working as a peer reviewer helps students hone their own editing skills, critical reading strategies, and interpersonal communication. Reading and responding to peers’ work creates a community of readers, writers, and researchers who together make meaning of significant texts that speak to the human experience.

Follow this link to the Valparaiso University Writing Program to learn more about Valpo’s four-year sequence of writing and information literacy enriched courses.