Writing from within: how learning to write occurs in a Communication Studies curriculum

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to characterize how writing is taught and integrated within an undergraduate program in Communication Studies at a private research university in Colombia. The relevance of this task is connected to the crucial role that writing plays in college as a facilitator for learning that enables students to think and communicate as experts in their disciplines (Ávila Reyes et al., 2021; Navarro et al., 2022; Thompson et al., 2021). To carry out this project, all faculty members were interviewed and asked to share the materials they use to support and assess student writing; this information was later contrasted with the perception of a group of alums that were polled. The results gathered provide an insightful perspective on how writing teaching and learning occur in an undergraduate program. This characterization aims to align with faculty and alums expectations regarding the role of writing within their discipline, shedding light on the complexities of teaching, learning, and applying writing skills in both academic and professional contexts.