Habits of Mind

Studies suggest that students who succeed in college aren't necessarily those who excelled in high school or scored well on standardized tests. Successful students are those who engage in certain ways of thinking or "habits of mind."

In our inquiry-based writing program, instructors lead students to recognize and practice the habits of mind essential to inquiry:

1. Questioning and curiosity 

2. Looking for answers

3. Suspending judgment

4. Seeking and valuing complexity

5. Understanding that academic writing is a conversation

6. Understanding that writing is a process  

Students may not arrive in our classrooms prepared for this approach learning, so we designed our First-Year Writing Program to provide opportunities to practice these ways of thinking. Inquiry-based programs engage students as active participants in their own education, promote intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness, and encourage students to value writing as a way to learn, communicate, and reflect.

We want our students to succeed in their college coursework and, ultimately, wear a cap and gown. We consider it our mission to help them achieve this.