The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Evaluation (OIEE) created the following to aid instructors in selecting and/or designing assignments to assess Written Communication.
To ensure the achievement of these objectives, each of these communication modes is treated as a separate learning outcome, with each requiring coverage in all core courses.
¹ 19 Tex. Admin. Code §4.28 (2021).
² American Association of Colleges & Universities. (2009). Written communication VALUE rubric. https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/value-initiative/value-rubrics/value-rubrics-written-communication
Definition
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board states that the Texas Core Curriculum objective of Communication is “to include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication.”¹ Written Communication refers specifically to "the development and expression of ideas in writing."²To ensure the achievement of these objectives, each of these communication modes is treated as a separate learning outcome, with each requiring coverage in all core courses.
¹ 19 Tex. Admin. Code §4.28 (2021).
² American Association of Colleges & Universities. (2009). Written communication VALUE rubric. https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/value-initiative/value-rubrics/value-rubrics-written-communication
Written Communication Rubric & Assignment Checklist
The Importance of Written Communication
- 77% of employers indicated that written communication is "very important” in identifying strong job candidates (p. 13).¹
- Only 54% of employers indicated that undergraduates were "very prepared" to communicate in written form (p. 22).¹
¹ American Association of Colleges & Universities. (2023). The career-ready graduate: What employers say about the difference college makes. https://dgmg81phhvh63.cloudfront.net/content/user-photos/Research/PDFs/AACU-2023-Employer-Report.pdf
Best Practices for Assessing
- Share the rubric with students and highlight the components that should be included in the assignment.
- Clarify expectations using rubric-based guidance, e.g., what strong written communication looks like or what distinguishes an effective central message (clear, focused, supported).
- Break the assignment into stages, such as:
- Determining the purpose (inform, persuade, entertain)
- Selecting an appropriate topic for the audience and context
- Planning content structure: introduction (purpose, preview), body (main points, evidence), conclusion (summary, closing)
- Refining language through proofreading and/or peer review
- Provide examples of strong and weak written communication. Use class discussion or peer review to illustrate clarity, structure, and audience awareness.
Recommended Assignment Types
Individual student submissions of:- Academic research essays
- Reflection essays
- Lab reports
- Long answer responses (4+ sentences) to exam, quiz, or homework questions
- Proposals
- Book reviews
- Rhetorical analyses
- Literature reviews
- Business communications (i.e., memos, letters, emails)
- Op eds
Written Communication Assignment Prompt Template
The following template offers guidance for designing an assignment that demonstrates the core objective of Written Communication. Instructors are encouraged to tailor it to their discipline.Purpose: Set a purpose for the assignment (e.g., informing, persuading, entertaining, or inspiring).
Topic/Central Message: Provide a topic or give parameters for students to select a topic.
Audience: Instruct students to communicate to an audience, such as the instructor, classmates, general public, donors, scientific community, government officials, elementary students, theater audiences, project stakeholders, etc.
Outside Sources (optional): Communicate your expectations about what types of sources you expect and are appropriate for the genre.
Organization: Clarify expectations about structure. For example, a traditional essay typically includes an introduction, a clearly organized body, and a conclusion. Depending on the context, other structures—such as problem-solution or chronological—may also be appropriate.
Length: Specify a page limit, word count, or other standard for how much the student should write. For assessment purposes, OIEE recommends a minimum of four complete, continuous sentences.
