In 2002, the faculty of Pitt’s then College of Arts and Sciences voted overwhelmingly in support of integrating oral communication across their undergraduate curriculum. The Speaking in the Disciplines (SID) initiative facilitates this integration.
SID is committed to disciplinary learning and discipline-specific oral competencies. It equips faculty throughout the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences with pedagogical resources to help undergraduates achieve two main goals: acquire disciplinary knowledge and skills, and build associated speaking and listening competencies.
The SID initiative is housed in the Department of Communication and receives ongoing administrative, financial, and instructional support from the Department, the Dietrich School’s Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, and the University Center for Teaching and Learning. SID is part of a larger national movement in higher education committed to the centrality of oral expression in the educational process.