The HSM faculty generated the following list in response to the question, “What characterizes academic and professional communication in this discipline?”

• Professional in tone, style, voice, and format
• Purposeful in accomplishing a communication goal
• Persuasive when needed
• Clear, concise, focused, and accurate
• Audience aware such that writing is keyed to the specific audience for the communication (of the many potential and different audiences in the field)
• Well-reasoned in its application of quantitative and qualitative evidence
• Well organized so that the communication is logically sequenced, cohesive, and coherent
• Multimodal when relevant, combining written, spoken, and visual presentations
• Descriptive with appropriate and sufficient detail
• Effective use of Executive Summary for detailed reports
• Effective in its use of review, analysis, and synthesis of literature, industry, and information
• Unbiased and objective
• Grammatically and syntactically correct
• Properly sourced, cited, and documented

The HSM faculty generated the following list in response to the question, “With which writing abilities should students in this unit’s major(s) graduate?”

Minimum Requirements for Writing in the Major:

1. Make effective choices that are aligned with the specific purpose of communication.

• Write persuasively, drawing on appropriate sources of research and evidence to support an issue, project or argument. Includes multiple facts and resources that are correct, complete, and complement the argument or reinforce the thesis.
• Establishes and develops an argument by supporting points with references and evidence.
• Uses evidence-based Health Services Management research and sources that are appropriate to the issue or project and supports conclusions and recommendations
• Uses multimodal communication descriptively and at an appropriate level of detail.
• Presents work in the modality or modalities (papers, slide decks,, etc.) that is best suited for the communication purpose.
• Sources cited are free from known bias and/or citations of differing views are balanced.
• Facts, opinions, and inferences are clearly differentiated and used in appropriate contexts.
• Facts and resources cited are appropriate to the reader’s level of understanding.

2. Make effective choices that are aligned with the specific audience addressed.

• Addresses the target audience appropriately by demonstrating sensitivity to beliefs and views.
• Offers critiques that are constructive and lead to appropriate behavioral change.
• Uses clear and concise language that is age- and industry-specific for the target audience.
• When appropriate, concisely portrays larger documents in a one-page executive summary that convinces the target audience to take action and/or accept recommendations.

3. Make effective choices that are aligned with the specific forms and modes of communication.

• Uses legible and specific visuals that can stand on their own and do not require extensive explanation.
• Axes in graphs are clearly and accurately labeled and are not truncated without cause.
• Graphs are clear, fully transparent, and show data realistically.
• The verbal and visual information presented in documents, reports, and slide decks is professional in appearance and tone.
• All figures and tables are referenced and discussed in the text so that their connection to the communication’s purpose is clear and identifiable.
• Uses APA citation and conventions so that readers can track down or verify sources.

4. Display strong critical thinking and reasoning.

• When necessary, the communication anticipates or refutes counter-arguments.
• Provides sufficient evidence and explanation to convince readers of the communication’s legitimacy and purpose.

5. Organize and present ideas effectively and efficiently.

• The central idea (or, when relevant, the thesis) is clearly communicated, worth developing, and limited enough to be manageable.
• Uses a logical structure and transition language that guide the reader through the chain of reasoning or progression of ideas.
• Avoids needlessly complex sentence structure or language to allow the reader to parse meaning quickly.
• When relevant, concludes communication with a summary of arguments and/or final recommendations that leaves the reader with a clear understanding of the author’s intent.

The HSM faculty have generated the following set of categorized grading criteria that align with the five desired writing abilities:

Ability 1: Make effective choices that are aligned with the specific purpose of communication.

• Adheres to the purpose of communication (based on assignment instructions or given context).
• Establishes and develops an argument by supporting points with references and other forms of evidence.
• Uses research that is appropriate to the issue or project and fully supports conclusions and recommendations.
• Includes multiple facts and resources from evidence based HSM materials and related research; all facts included are correct and complete; facts complement the argument or reinforce the thesis and are appropriate to the reader’s level of understanding.
• Presents work in multimodalities (papers, slide decks,, etc.) in a manner that is best suited for the communication purpose.
• Uses and cites sources free from known bias, are respected HSM sources, and/or citations of differing views are balanced when appropriate.

Ability 2: Make effective choices that are aligned with the specific audience addressed.

• Addresses the target audience appropriately with sensitivity to beliefs and views.
• Offers critiques to other team members in ways that are constructive and lead to appropriate behavioral change.
• Uses clear and concise language that is appropriate to the target audience.
• When appropriate, concisely portrays larger documents in a one-page executive summary that convinces the target audience to take action and/or accept recommendations.
• Uses language and terminology that is age and industry specific for the target audience.

Ability 3: Make effective choices that are aligned with the specific forms and modes of communication.

• Uses legible and specific visuals that can stand on their own and do not require extensive explanation.
• Uses axes in graphs are clearly and accurately labeled and are not truncated without reason.
• Presents graphs that are clear, fully transparent, and show data realistically.
• Uses terminology from Health Services Management fields accurately and clearly, and, when appropriate, defines terminology for readers.
• Presents verbal and visual information in documents, reports, and slide decks that matches professional templates and expectations in appearance and tone.
• Designs graphs that share information clearly.
• References and discusses all figures and tables in the text.
• Chooses words for their precise meaning and appropriate level of specificity so that only one interpretation of meaning is possible.

Ability 4: Display strong critical thinking and reasoning.

• Includes facts and resources that are correct, complete, and complement the argument or reinforce the thesis.
• Cites facts and resources that are appropriate to the given audience’s background and level of understanding.
• When necessary, anticipates or refutes counter-arguments.
• Provides sufficient evidence and explanation to convince readers.
• Organizes communications so that main and supporting ideas are logically sequenced and clearly connected.
• Includes all key elements in the summary.
• Condenses and paraphrases information effectively and properly.
• Uses transition language to show connections between concepts and ideas presented in the summary.
• Uses language that clearly differentiates summary from analysis.
• Compares and contrasts information to reach new conclusions rather than describe similarities and differences.
• Includes multiple facts and resources from research of the overall organization. All facts are accurate and complete; facts complement the argument or reinforce the challenge statement and are appropriate to the reader’s level of understanding.
• Effectively researches and cites pertinent and up-to-date facts and data, translating them into findings that are used to create meaningful charts and graphs that clearly show the student analyzed the data and can display conclusive information.
• Uses a creative transitional phrase to start the conclusion.
• Restates main points in the conclusion clearly and in a new way.
• Makes a connection back to the information in the introduction (a name, a story, an event, stats, etc.).

Ability 5: Organize and present ideas effectively and efficiently.

• Clearly communicates the central idea/ thesis.
• Establishes why the central idea/thesis is worth developing and limited enough to be manageable.
• Uses a clearly identifiable and logical structure.
• Uses transition sentences to guide the reader through the chain of reasoning or progression of ideas.
• Uses a clearly identifiable and logical structure.
• Uses sentences within paragraphs that are clearly ordered and can be read easily.
• Writes in a way that is free from syntactical errors above a reasonable (and established) number.
• Writes with few or no spelling, punctuation, or other grammar errors.

Approved by the Campus Writing Board in Summer 2018, HSM’s first-edition Writing Plan identified three core areas of work: (1) engaging in an internal assessment of student writing at the introductory and intermediate levels of the program; (2) developing student resources that underscore the importance of writing throughout the program and in the profession; (3) participating in three workshops focused on supporting multilingual writers, ensuring consistent academic integrity and citation knowledge, and developing clear, useful and flexible assignments and rubrics.

For its second-edition Writing Plan, approved by the CWB in Spring 2019, HSM identified four core areas of work in support of its ongoing WEC efforts. First, the department continued its popular faculty workshop series, focusing on topics such as best practices for collaborative writing environments and assignments, working with multilingual students in the HSM context, and strategies for teaching source use and APA citation formats. Second, HSM launched an annual, two-part student workshop series to review available writing resources developed during the first Writing Plan. Third, the department convened a number of small faculty working groups to develop rubrics that align with WEC-related criteria, identify instructional gaps, and to facilitate consistent instruction and assessment across the curriculum. Fourth, building on their efforts in the first-edition Writing Plan, HSM has begun to establish an online “Writing Hub” that will serve as a core resource site for students and faculty.

HSM’s third-edition writing plan, approved by the CWB in November 2022, is focused on deepening its commitments to fostering a culturally responsive learning community and profession. The HSM faculty have identified five core strategies to support this effort: (1) reviewing, updating, and further developing a shared approach for research and writing in the health services profession; (2) developing a shared approach for multimodal communication with diverse populations and stakeholders; (3) building resources for HSM faculty that assists them in engaging students and offering feedback on different styles of writing relevant to the health services and for diverse stakeholders; (4) increasing consistency with assignment descriptions and rubrics and development of assignment guidelines for HSM courses; (5) completing a writing handbook, HSM Writing Guide to Content and Style. The HSM faculty will be central to these endeavors, and they will be supported by a Research Assistant, a Curriculum and Assessment Specialist in CCAPS, and a WEC consultant, who will facilitate working groups and workshops each semester.