Literacies Fellows
In Fall 2022, ten faculty Literacies Fellows, selected from the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, and College Writing, engaged in intensive analysis of their own undergraduate courses as well as other courses taught by faculty across Arts & Sciences. Led by the LLC team, this collaborative process sought to reveal the skills, knowledges, and fluencies already embedded in the A&S curriculum.
Literacies Validation Process
After gathering data from the Literacies Fellows on over one hundred A&S courses, the LLC team employed qualitative research tools to code and interpret the collected data. Their analysis led to the creation of a preliminary list of fourteen literacies that cut across academic disciplines, majors, and instructional levels.
Faculty Involvement by the Numbers:
- 10 Faculty Literacies Fellows
- 3 Task Force Members
- 24 Early Adopters, Cohort I
- 35 Early Adopters, Cohort II
- 42 Directors of Undergraduate Studies
Piloting the Initial List of Literacies in Courses
In 2023-2024, twenty-four A&S faculty received teaching innovation grants to pilot the initial list of literacies in their undergraduate courses and to employ associated pedagogical approaches, such as increased transparency around skill acquisition and opportunities for student metacognitive reflection about their learning. The Early Adopters received training in evidence-based pedagogies, developed literacies integration plans in consultation with the LLC team, and shared experiences, ideas, and constructive feedback in formal faculty learning communities that met throughout the semester.
- 51 A&S Courses in the First Round of Early Adoption
- 21 Humanities, 7 Social Sciences, 11 Natural Sciences and Math, 12 College Writing
- 4 First-Year Programs
- 24 Intro-Level, 27 Upper-Level
- 6 Language Courses
- 2,320 Students Enrolled in Pilot Courses
Refinement and Final List
During the first year of the pilot, the LLC team sought comprehensive oral and written feedback about the initial list of literacies from multiple constituencies, including Early Adopters, Directors of Undergraduate Studies, and student focus groups. Further, a concept mapping survey developed by Brian Carpenter, professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and former LLC co-lead, gathered input from both faculty and students, thereby providing valuable insight into how faculty viewed each literacy in terms of its importance and interrelationship with other literacies.
In the summer of 2024, a task force comprised of faculty from disciplinary areas across Arts & Sciences reviewed the collective feedback and made recommendations for refining the list. Following their efforts, a final review was conducted by the LLC steering committee, the LLC co-leads, and Feng Sheng Hu, the Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences, culminating in a final list of 11 literacies.
Second Round of Early Adoption
In 2024-2025, 35 A&S faculty participated in the second year of the pilot. This cohort of Early Adopters integrated the final list of literacies into their courses.
- 61 A&S Courses in the Second Round of Early Adoption
- 23 Humanities, 13 Social Sciences, 16 Natural Sciences and Math, 9 College Writing
- 4 First-Year Programs
- 35 Intro-Level, 36 Upper-Level
- 2 Language Courses
- 3,500+ Students Enrolled in Pilot Courses
Scale-Up and Beyond
In 2025-2026, the finalized literacies were integrated into all A&S courses on the 1000- and 2000-levels.
Literacies and Advising
The LLC team partnered with four-year advisors to begin integrating literacies into academic advising. Additionally, a program development grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) enabled the LLC team to design a new signature event for sophomores planned for January 2027.
Final Year of Scale-Up
In 2026-2027, literacies will be integrated into all A&S undergraduate courses and in four-year advising, providing students, instructors, and advisors with a shared vocabulary for articulating the lasting skills developed through an Arts & Sciences education at WashU.
Inaugural Sophomore Event
In January 2027, students in the class of 2029 will participate in a large-scale gathering centered on LLC reflection. Sophomore students, guided by A&S Four-Year Advisors, will engage in reflective exercises at a particularly important juncture in their academic journey, namely the moment of their declaration of a major. The event will feature a keynote address from an A&S alumnus as well as remarks from A&S leadership.
Following the keynote address, students will meet in small groups with Four-Year Advisors, who will guide them an applied activity focused on their engagement with the literacies in their coursework thus far. The group meetings will also explore insights students have gained in their first three semesters and use these reflections to identify the kinds of courses and experiences they hope to pursue in the second half of their college experience. These breakout sessions will provide fertile ground to explore questions of meaning and purpose related not only to students’ academic identities, but also to their life goals.
