The Prevalence of Writing Across the Curriculum in Collegiate Aviation Flight Education

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of writing assignments and the prevalence of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in collegiate aviation flight programs. Researchers report a variety of results with the incorporation of writing and speaking assignments in different fields, but similar study in aviation is not well reported. Of 115 University Aviation Association institutions surveyed, 37 responded to a battery of questions regarding the use of writing assignments in their aviation flight programs and WAC. While the majority of respondents indicate that their institution does not have an established WAC program, collegiate aviation flight programs do employ a variety of communicationfocused courses to address communication training and assignments to teach/practice communication skills. Additionally, the majority of responding institutions indicate that writing assignments are required.