While WAC gained its start in liberal arts colleges, it quickly moved to universities. Scholars from Michigan Technological University had been engaged in early conversations about WAC and they established their own WAC program in 1978. Led by Art Young and Toby Fulwiler, the WAC program at Michigan Tech involved scholars such as Carol Berkenkotter, Randall Freisinger, and James Kalmbach, among others. A distinguishing feature of their work was a strong emphasis on assessing the impact of WAC efforts across the university. Their early work resulted in two edited collections (Fulwiler & Young, 1982, 1986) that offered evidence-based conclusions about the impact of WAC on student learning and put forth guidelines that would shape the design of WAC programs at other institutions.
Video: Art Young discusses the work he and his colleagues carried out in the late 1970s and early 1980s at Michigan Technological University. View the video at https://youtu.be/X0RZirWDno4.