WAC Partnerships Between Secondary and Postsecondary Institutions

Reviewed by Meredith McCool, Assistant Professor and Director of the Education Program, Sweet Briar College on 6/15/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text begins with a chapter that introduces the reader to Writing Across the Curriculum in which the authors state that the purpose of the book is to "promote models of collaborative partnerships across the curriculum and across schools/colleges, so other institutions can design their own programs or create new innovative ones," a purpose upon which they deliver. The text does not provide an index or glossary; however, I never felt the need to access one as I was reading.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Drawing on the experiences of a range of authors and practitioners of WAC partnerships--educators in both high school and higher ed, high school peer tutors--from Argentina, Germany, and the United States, the text provides a variety of perspectives. What is more, the authors intentionally highlight both successful and less than successful WAC partnerships. In particular, the chapter by Beaumont and colleagues and that by Hansen and colleagues detail very different experiences with WAC partnerships, yet both reached similar conclusions: that shared beliefs and values allow partnerships to thrive.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text was published in 2016, although many of the partnerships detailed therein took place earlier in the last decade. Whereas the content does not feel out-of-date, it does not reflect the ways in which WAC partnerships might make use of newer technologies such as video conferencing platforms.

Clarity rating: 5

Overall, the clarity of the text is high. To support clarity as well as transferability to other contexts, several chapter authors provided artifacts of their WAC partnerships such as rubrics, assignment descriptions, and guides for writing center conversations.

Consistency rating: 4

The chapters within the book feel consistent--particularly with respect to the ways in which they provide concrete examples that the reader could transfer to their own practice--with the exception of the chapter by Navarro and Chion. While well-written, the chapter lacks concrete examples and thick descriptions, impeding the transferability of the authors' findings.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is subdivided into separate chapters, each with its own set of authors. Whereas each chapter could stand alone, the authors also often reference other chapters within the text, supporting cohesiveness and continuity.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is bookended by chapters that provide a zoomed-out view of WAC partnerships. Inside this frame, each chapter zooms in on a particular partnership. Some authors make explicit connections to other chapters with the text. In some cases, vastly different experiences yielded similar results. Such throughlines support the reader in making connections across chapters and WAC partnerships.

Interface rating: 5

I read the text as a PDF and experienced no interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

WAC partnerships in different countries (i.e., Argentina, Germany, the United States) are described; however, the broader cultural contexts of the programs within these countries are not explicitly addressed.

Comments

As a teacher educator who is frequently exploring ways to facilitate engagement that spans the boundaries between K-12 schools and higher education, I encountered many ideas in this text that I hope to explore in my own practice and share with my school partners.