Writing That Resonates: Meaningful Assignments Across the Curriculum
Panelists discuss "Writing That Resonates" at the event hosted by the Center for University Education Scholarship.
On October 30, 2025, a hybrid seminar and panel hosted by the Center for University Education Scholarship (CUES) brought our WAC Directors and a current WAC Faculty Fellow to unpack what makes writing assignments meaningful to students across the University of Arizona.
The event was part of the Inside U of A-Funded Scholarship Series, which highlights a CUES-funded project, followed by a panel discussion on the project and the CUES award process. The session was mediated by Dr. Guada Lozano, CUES director & Endowed chair, and featured 3 panelists:
Dr. Emily Jo Schwaller, CUES Distinguished Fellow, Assistant Professor of Practice in the University Center for Assessment, Teaching & Technology (UCATT), and Assistant Director of the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program;
Dr. Aimee Mapes, Director, Writing Across the Curriculum, UCATT; Associate Professor, Rhetoric, Composition & the Teaching of English, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences; and
Dr. Amritha Wickramage, Assistant Professor of Practice, Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences.
CUES Director Dr. Guada Lozano (standing) with event panelists (from left) Dr. Emily Jo Schwaller, Dr. Aimee Mapes, and Dr. Amritha Wickramage.
Learn more about CUES - meaningful writing project
What Makes an Assignment Meaningful?
The panel discussion dove into responses from 499 students across disciplines about what they consider to be meaningful writing assignments. What do students remember across all their courses? How can we design assignments that resonate?
After an overview of the key themes from the student data by Dr. Schwaller, panelist Dr. Aimee Mapes explored how this research impacts students across all disciplines. She also discussed what instructors should consider when designing or adapting their own class assignments to conform to research findings.
From Research to Practice in STEM
Providing a direct application of the research, Dr. Amritha Wickramage shared how she used these results to adapt an assignment in her STEM General Education course.
Participants left the session with a clearer understanding of the characteristics of meaningful writing assignments at the University of Arizona and ideas for incorporating these principles into their own classes.
To learn more about the research that inspired this panel, visit the project page for Dr. Schwaller's CUES-funded project, Serving HSI Undergraduates through Meaningful Writing.
Explore Inside U of A-Funded Scholarship Series
Prepared by Thais Rodrigues Cons (she/her)
Email: Thais Rodrigues Cons