CSUDH Writing Intensive Courses
Composition
research shows that writing improves with meaningful revision and practice in
diverse settings, that it engages students and improves their learning of
content, and that it develops thinking skills. Research also shows that the
most effective teachers of writing in the discipline are faculty teaching in
the disciplines. Enhancing student
preparedness and success is a high priority for the University. An important component of student success is
a solid foundation in writing.
Each
program must designate writing intensive courses for undergraduate
students. To qualify for graduation each
undergraduate student shall be required to earn at least a C in two (2)
designated writing courses. This
requirement will take effect no later than fall 2008 semester. In most cases the courses will be in the
student's own major field. Nevertheless,
if the student's major program does not offer writing intensive courses, or if
the student changes major after taking writing intensive courses, then the
courses may be in another area.
Writing
intensive courses are intended to improve students' skill at communicating
within an academic discipline. Generic
writing courses, including freshman composition, advanced composition, and the
writing adjunct, do not satisfy this requirement. Writing intensive courses shall be identified
in the course schedule and University Catalog by having a "WI" appended
to the course number (e.g., ENG 307WI, HIS 300WI).
Because
it is essential that students write their own papers, the University shall
provide faculty who teach writing courses with practical means for discouraging
and detecting plagiarism, including access to and training in the use of an
on-line plagiarism detection and prevention database.
The
general education program shall provide support for this initiative by
emphasizing writing in appropriate general education courses. It is the intent of this policy that the
Division of
GUIDELINES FOR
WRITING INTENSIVE COURSES:
(In
the following text "program" means "division, department, or
program".)
A writing
intensive course should meet all of the following criteria. A variation in the criteria may be granted
for a particular program by the Writing Competency Committee if the program
faculty and the Writing Competency Committee agree that a criterion is not
appropriate to the discipline and a variation in the criteria would serve the
academic interests of the University.
The Writing Competency Committee shall keep a public record of all
variations and the rationale for them.
1. The course should be part of an academic
major in the program that offers the course.
2. Each writing intensive course should
require at least the equivalent of fifteen typed pages (250 words = one page)
of formal writing to be spread out over two or more assignments or consolidated
into a single project with discrete components that can be submitted in draft
form. The writing shall be in a form and
format that is appropriate to the subject and the discipline. It should involve critical thinking and may
involve analytical preparatory reading and could include diagrams or symbolic
elements such as music or mathematical formulas or fragments of computer code
but should be primarily a piece of writing, not a picture or a calculation or a
computer program.
3. Each writing assignment should provide
opportunities for serious student revision after faculty commentary. Faculty
should comment on at least two-thirds of draft submissions. Such commentary can
be communicated in written form and/or orally in conferences. Writing that is not subject
to review and revision shall not count as part of the total of fifteen (15)
required pages of formal writing.
4. Writing instruction should focus on
writing techniques specific to the discipline and clarification of requirements
and methods of preparation for assignments.
5. Each class should have a maximum of 25
students per instructor or graduate teaching assistant. For example, a lecture class with 100
students would satisfy this criterion if it had one instructor and three
graduate teaching assistants.
6. Students shall be required to demonstrate
satisfactory performance in writing, formal and informal, sufficient to receive
C or better in the course.
7. Program faculty will decide which writing
intensive courses offered outside of the program shall meet the writing
requirement for students in the program's major, and the conditions under which
such courses are accepted. Each
program's policy regarding such courses must be in writing and available to
students. Accepted transfer courses must
clearly be writing intensive in nature, either on the transcript or in the
course description. By offering writing
intensive courses within the program, accepting writing intensive courses
offered by other programs, or a combination of these, every program must meet
the writing intensive requirement by the fall 2008 semester.
8. Writing intensive courses should be
offered on a regularly scheduled basis to meet student demand in the major.
APPROVAL OF WRITING INTENSIVE COURSES:
1. Writing intensive courses are approved by
agreement between program faculty and the Writing Competency Committee.
2. The Writing Competency Committee shall
offer guidance in creating writing intensive courses, including assistance with
assignments, grading templates, etc. The
Writing Competency Committee will review existing writing intensive course
syllabi periodically to assure writing intensive course guidelines are met.
3. Program faculty may choose to have all
sections of a course taught as writing intensive, or only selected sections,
depending on the willingness or interest of the instructors and the workload of
the program.
4. Programs may decide whether to make
satisfaction of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement a prerequisite for
their writing intensive courses.
5. Before a course receives the WI
designation, the program and the Writing Competency Committee must agree that
adequate resources are available to support the course. If the program and the Writing Competency
Committee agree that the academic interests of the University would be served
by giving a course the WI designation, but adequate workload is not available
to support the course, then the Writing Competency Committee should assist the
department in requesting funds to offer the course.
6. The Office for Academic Programs shall
establish a timeline for implementation.