The Computer-Integrated Courses Program (CIC) was created in 1990, when
the Department of English successfully argued that students in 100-level
writing courses would benefit from classrooms that were capable of taking
full advantage of new learning technologies. CIC courses take place in four rooms: Mary
Gates 082 and 076, 25-station
computer classrooms linked in a local-area network (LAN); and Mary Gates
074 and 082A, both wired seminar rooms.
In contrast to the design of most computer facilities, the CIC lab classrooms
are arranged in three-person “pods.” The special design of our
clusters facilitates teaching strategies attuned to a learning style that
privileges interactive, visually oriented, experiential activities. CIC students have access both to their
own computers and to shared desk space, allowing them to alternate between
individual reading, research or writing and collaborative group work.
Along with curricular offerings, CIC provides TA and faculty instructors with opportunities to develop innovative, technology-based pedagogy and scholarship in a variety of liberal arts disciplines. For TAs, such opportunities prepare for an English job market that increasingly values facility with educational technology. For full-time English faculty, CIC offers instruction and support in adapting traditional courses to a computer-integrated environment,
In addition to housing regularly scheduled courses, CIC offers English instructors lab time on an as-needed basis. For more information on teaching in CIC, visit our office in Padelford A-11A or email us at englcic@u.washington.edu).
