WI Guidelines

WRITING INTENSIVE (WI) COURSES WILL:

1. Require students to do a significant amount of writing—a minimum of 4000 words or the equivalent of 16 typed pages.  Various types of formal and informal writing, both in class and out, are appropriate.  Assignments might include journals, learning logs, reaction papers, essays, or research projects.
2. Emphasize writing as an essential tool for learning course material.  Instructors will emphasize that clear, well-organized writing is a way of acquiring, analyzing, and communicating knowledge, and that the act of writing does not merely record or reformulate thought but generates thought as well.
3. Provide for interaction between the instructor and student as part of the writing process.  For a long paper, instructors could review sections of the paper, comment on several drafts, and confer with students.  For a short paper, instructors could give guidance during the composition of the paper and consult with students after the paper has been completed.
4. Establish writing as a major element in determining the grade for the course.
5. Limit total enrollment to 20 students so that instructor-student interaction is possible on a regular basis.
6. Have as a prerequisite completion of ENG 100 or ESL 100E with a grade of "C" or better.