Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) literature stresses the importance of designing effective writing assignments, especially in writing intensive courses. Effective online courses by their very nature have to be writing intensive, considering the fact that a discussion board is a must for an effective online course. We should have some standards for even discussion board writing. Furthermore, the online environment lends itself to crafting various types of writing assignments. This paper (1) discusses some principles and guidelines for designing effective writing assignments face-to-face (FTF) as well as online and (2) shares results from writing assignments in online classes in the principles of economics over several semesters.